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Prompt: As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate.

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position that you take.  In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.

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Mankind remains to be one of the most successful species on the planet Earth, having the ability to conquer the environment and rise above the everyday harsh conditions that accompany the wild.  In harnessing this power, the human species developed technological advancements that allowed it to have more power in the world and be less likely to succumb to predation in the natural realm.  In this essay, I will argue that technology has allowed humans to adapt to daily life in a way that is healthier, more efficient, and more successful.  This efficiency of human function is what ultimately ensured the success of the human population, allowing humans to do more complex things at greater scales than one could do without such advancements.

One of the main technological advancements that we know helped the human species succeed is the cultivation of fire.  Fire allowed humans to have a source of warmth in Winter seasons, as cold conditions limited where populations of humans would be able to live.  Fire also allowed humans a way to cook food, preventing bacterial contamination that might bear negative consequences on an individual’s health.  Mastering the creation of fire helped mankind conquer an entirely new terrain, allowing humans to live in arctic climates with temperatures that would normally be lethal to humankind.  Instead of technology causing early humans to deteriorate, technology actually helped humans survive in difficult environments.   In addition to gaining the technological understanding of harnessing fire, another important advancement was the creation of weapons.  Gaining the ability to hunt animal prey with stone weapons allowed early humans access to a diet consisting of nutrient-dense meat, in addition to their earlier vegetable diet.  Over time, these weapons would undergo a lot of trial and error, constantly adapting to become more efficient and allowing humans to protect themselves in the wild.  Such adaptation showcases the ability of humans to use their brains to develop more efficient means of survival, something which accounted for the successful proliferation of humans across the world.

Moving forward to the modern era, one can see that technology is all around us.  We live on a planet where humans can travel almost anywhere that they desire, given that mankind has conquered the sky, the ocean, and is now expanding outside of this world and into Space.  Instead of constantly being happy with what we have already achieved, humans have actually shown great stability in their ability to create new and better methods to perform functions of everyday life.  For example, the advent of the computer was an incredible feat, allowing humans to initially solve simple math problems and relay information through use of a word processor that allowed for editing, unlike its typewriter predecessor.  However, computers continued to adapt as mankind thought of new uses for them.  One such major development was the creation of the Internet, ultimately going on to become the largest repository of information ever created in the history of the human species. The Internet, even today, continues to grow into new markets with new technological achievements, such as the development of applications for use in healthcare, private businesses, and biological research.  While some people might argue that many humans are becoming complacent in the stability of modern life, this stability is a product of centuries of development, all intended to make life the way that it currently is. 

Even with the current success of the human civilization, mankind has a lot of room to develop.  Many diseases and human pathologies are not adequately understood, leading many people to lead very difficult lives.  While modern medicine has grown to understand many aspects of diseases that plague the human population, future advancements will hopefully seek the eradication of cancer, cures for HIV, potentially the end of psychiatric disorders.  Technological tools that help researchers study such models are also being created every day, with computer scientists creating programs to analyze a vast repository of information that researchers collect in studies.  

Technological advancement is one of mankind’s most valuable assets, as it has allowed humans to conquer their natural habitats and make everyday life more stable.  However, instead of growing complacent in this stability, the history of the human species has consistently shown that the human penchant for advancement is part of our species’ DNA.