Final Blog

What I have learned in the past sixteen weeks?  Prior to attending this class, I was limited on my choices, either Science Technology and Injustice or Eastern European Economics.  Since I was taking this class I lost hours at work and after looking at my DARS report, I realized it was futile to take it for credit purposes.

I did learn some interesting materials even if it seems I have a negative attitude towards this class and subject.  I initially thought technology was about the newest computers, Ipods, flat screen HDTVs.  I didnt realize transportation, benches, nuclear energy promoted inequality within a technological field.  Looking at technology and inequality from a different perspective, maybe inequality is needed.  Not everyone should have nuclear technology and certain neighborhoods should restrict transportation to regulate people migrating.

Another interesting subject was about DNA and how people are losing their rights as citizens and how some people are involuntarily giving up their DNA because its court ordered.  There were interesting topics such as technology as artifacts and how the traditional social theories of justices are implemented into the technological creations.  The urban creation and expansion from Curitiba, Brazil was interesting and JUS 494 shouldve covered more about global warning and pollution if possible because Curitiba is preventing pollution and maintaining a clean environment in an urban setting.

What I least enjoyed was when we had the guest speaking.  He read directly from a powerpoint and although he was passionate about his presentation and a subject matter expert, he needed to realize he was talking with people and specifically undergraduate students not professors at a seminar.  The material he spoke about was extremely difficult to comprehend and I had to research his material online before writing my weekly blog.

My final blog for JUS 494.

Vietnam and China’s S & T

Both Vietnam and China are countries located in Asia which follows a socialist style of government  although historically communist making their government highly centralized.  Both countries have hig populations, specifically high concentration of people in urban cities i.e. Hanoi, Saigon, Beijing.  Vietnam has a large low income population.  Both countries have a high labor force and lack funds with regards to science and technology.  China is one of the leading outsourcing industrial countries and heavily influenced by US economic model.  Both country’s governments censor and monitor surveillance on their citizens preventing anti government activities.

China’s science and technology originates from Mao Zedong’s political era.  Their social services are resistant to coordination and cooperation.  China went through a modernization of science and technology and funding was prioritzed to reforming.  One could see S & T reforms should be harmonized with broader ongoing economic and enterprise managment reforms.  According to the reading, China attempts to adjust to and exploit globalization of industy and technology while continuing to reform old science and technology system. 

Vietnam’s research and development consists of labs and government agencies, educational settings, and national institutions not under government agencies whom are all closely linked but lack communication within each other.  Its mostly concentrated in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and their budget ranges from $50-60 million.  They have four national priority programs for high e country.technology, 1. IT, 2. Biotechnology, 3. New Materials, 4. Automation.  Firms and institutions need to have better access to available modern technology from within and outside the country.  Overall, S & T needs to be simple, clear, and concise.

Urban Development

This week’s lecture was about urban development and city developments.  Jaime Lerner, an aritect and former mayor of Curitiba quoted a “city is a not a problem, its a solution.”  Lerner is famous for the 1965 Curitiba Master Plan which implemented the Bus Rapid Transit, a system where buses have their own lanes on major streets.  They Aritects and city planners have a pessimistic approach about cities since they are too big and lack financial resources.  He said every city needs a design and coresponsibility from everyone.  There are two important factors when it comes to development of cities, 1. mobility and 2. sustainability.  Wherever an indivudual travels to, the bus rate is constant and Curitiba has restricted vehicular entries in their downtown/city center. 

The reason why vehicles are restricted in the city center is to preserve their history and to also mitigate carbon emissions, a major contributor by cars.  He compared cars to mother in laws, where we need them but cant stand them.  During his era of mayorship, his bus stops were innovative as they were colored and tube shaped, easier indications that they were bus stops.  Another reason why he restricted vehicles from entering the city center was the massive population influx occuring during Lerner’s office years.         

Creativity and innovation is what Lerner emphasized as he built parks in areas vulnerable from floods.  Certain barrios and ghetto neighborhoods got cleaner because he taught children how to separate their trash.  He attempted and succeed to some degree urban developing, equally developing all areas of the city including poverty and run down.  Curitiba’s public transportation is not subsidized by the government.

Election Extra Credit

President elect Barack Obama defeated Senator John McCain on Election Day November 4, 2008.  Obama, our 44th President will be the first African American president and the third president from Illonois.  He defeated McCain by a landslide with 364 to 162.  Ohio became a Democractic state and the traditional Republican states voted for McCain and vise versa for Democractic states voting for Obama.  Obama won the popular vote 64 million to McCain’s 56 million.  Throughout the day there were various delays and issues such as glitches in polling machines and weather conditions but voters were persistent.  By 9 PM Arizona time, the world knew who our next president would be as Obama was first to exceed 270 electoral votes.                 

People’s reactions were different from saying he lacks experience and he wont follow through his policies.  When McCain was making his concession speak, his spectators booed Obama which was clearly inapproproriate.  During Obama’s speak, those in attendance such as Oprah Winfrey and Jesse Jackson were in tears as he’s changed 250 years of American history.  He mentioned a 106 year old African American woman who lived through the Montgomery boycotts, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches who finally had a chance to vote for her candidate.  “Yes we can,” and “Change” were the words spoken and campaign phrase used.           

Obama’s target voting group were the younger generation, the college aged students and he received about 65% of their votes.  Hopefully his term in office will change race relations in the United States and throughout the world.  There shouldve been a democratic president and a republican senate for the purpose of checks and balances but lets see what the future holds for us in the next four years.  January 20, 2008 is only 76 days away

Guest Speaker

The guest speaker, JW Smith spoke about causes of war and poverty.  He mentioned two reasons which cause war and poverty, plunder by trade, property rights anad denying others their rightful share of what nature offers to us all for free.  Plundering the poor by the wealthy exemplifies control and dominance and reducing competition.  He noted our country’s beginnings of democracy evolved from feudalism.  He mentioned those who have exclusive titles own monopoly of land and monopoly rights exclude the weak from their rightful share of production.  Therefore he claims land titles should be conditional.  Humans have a preconceived notion that they are “paying to society” rather they are paying monopolies. 

Individuals must work within the monopoly system.  Technology is patented through monopoly law.  Wasted labor and resources within each monopoly is roughly 50% according to Smith.  A rhetorical question he asked was “Whose controlling resources and welfare producing process?”  Children in Cambodia are teaching themselves computers and are learning to become self-sufficient.  An equal society is seen as a threat to unequal society.  There is no absolute hegemony and realistically capitalism doesnt work.  Contemporary capitalism seems to be working because people live under a power structure and we need to eliminate monopolies to expand individual rights.  According to Smith, war is primarily fought over resources and trade.   

Nuclear Technology

This week’s class discussion was based on nuclear technology and how it affects our daily lives.  Nuclear technology is generally misunderstand in our society because it is always portrayed as destructive and dangerous to our civilization.  Popular images of nuclear technology include weapons, reactors, nuclear waste and the devastating effects of Hiroshima.  The images of mushroom cloud explosions are only partial images and our society has this “want it but not in my backyard” attitude towards nuclear reactors. 

When mentioning radon/radiation, our society has developed fear, controversy, misunderstandings and mistrust.  Our popular media portrays radiation in movies and comics including Dr. Strangelove, The Incredible Hulk and The Simpsons.  Radiation was first noticed in 1895 and contrary to popular beliefs, it could cure cancer and it has been used by the military.  There are different types of radiation including electromagnetic (x rays, gamma rays). 

Nuclear energy is created when nuclei of atoms are either split or merged together known as fission and fusion respectively.  Nuclear reactors produce energy and the world leaders of nuclear facilities are the U.S., Western Europe, and Japan.  Nuclear image is about national image and their pride, nuclear strength can be viewed as a form of nationalism.  During the Cold War era, the United States could have reacted to the Soviet Union by developing their nuclear weapons.  The United States distributed nuclear weapons to Iran during the Iran/Iraq conflict thus resulting in our current nuclear conflict.  Every country except North Korea, Pakistan, India, and Israel have ratified the Nonproliferation Treaty.  America’s intelligence on North Korea’s nuclear data is reported through China.

Gender/Inequality and DNA

This week’s lecture was on gender inequality and how it relates to science and technology.  We also went over DNA and how DNA can unintentionally create inequality within our criminal justice system.  Gender is an everyday issue because its an distinction between sexes.  Our sex is what we’re biologically composed of and what gender is how our society interprets our sexes.

There are different cultural attitudes and gender stereotypes within our society.  Dr. Lim mentioned being one of the view women doctors attending a conference.  Her colleagues often automatically assume she’s an older woman or believe she’s part of the catering staff.  Dame “Steve” Shirley intentionally changed her name to “Steve” for this very assumption.  She knew her colleagues and her field would respect her more if she had a male’s name.  Another example of our society’s socially constructed gender biases.  Although science and technology is created on a neutral basis, men and women have different starting points therefore making it non neutral.

The creation of DNA into our forensic sciences has created disparity among race, class, and social backgrounds.  Both the Duke lacrosse team and OJ Simpson cases have shown inequality within our justice system.  If a regular criminal had committed the crime OJ committed, they would’ve been convicted but since OJ had the financial support and the best lawyers of Los Angeles, he was acquitted.  Providing counsel mitigates inequality but doesnt necessarily bring about equality.  DNA testing is a form of egalitarian technology but human’s intepret this by creating inequality and double standards.

Our criminal justice system relies heavily on science.  DNA sampling from unconvicted individuals with misdeameanors undermines the bond between citizens and state.

Distributive Justice

The class lecture covered distributive justice and its four traditional philosophical perspectives: libertarian, utilitarian, contractarian, and communitarian.  These four philosophies were analyzed and viewed from a science and technological perspective and how it creates an inequality.  Distributive justice raise tensions about inequity, a normative term denoting an unjust or unfair distribution. 

Libertarian principles of distributive justice sees the primary value on the (equal) protection of property rights.  A majority of these political party participates are viewed as anti government.  They are for process over product.  They achieve success when indivuduals can practice their rights to property.  Acquisition, transfer and recitifcation is what makes their system.  An individual’s actions and conditions are at the center of their philosophical view. 

Utilitarian belief is that distributive justice is moral as along as it increases total happiness for the group, concentrating less on the individuals.  Unlike the libertarian view, they are for government support, research and development.  An example used was the pizza pie,  if the entire class got x amount of pies, the entire class is satified regardless of how the slices individuals ate.  An economic growth at the national level almost always help the poor. 

The contractarian theory states a fair system of distribution is one that rational individuals would freely agree to after deliberation.  John Rawl’s argued that individuals have different starting points.  Since they have different starting points, science and technology for the poor is still marginal.  John Rawls created a concept of a veil of ignorance where individuals dont know what their starting position was. 

Communitarian acknowledge inequality produces worse outcomes for everyone not just for the poor.  Poverty reduction is at the center, not wealth creation or economic growth.  Humanity cannot embrace this gap between rich and poor John Rawl’s contract theory permits.  There is a polarization of wealth and it isnt distributed equally.  Their main ideology is that action is moral when it strengthens community life.

QWERTY and Technological Momentum

Technological momentum can be between technological determinism and social constructivism.  Hughes believes technological determinism is a force that determines social and cultural change.  On the other hand, social construct presumes social and cultural forces determine technological change.  Technological momemtum therefore implies social development shapes and is shaped by technology.  Momentum is always time dependent. 

With regards to technology, one can barely define “standards.”  An example would be form of measurements.  In the US we use the US system but everywhere else they use the metric system; the SI system is more accurate and precise but disregarded in the US.  Why is the keyboard created with QWERTY on the top left corner?  How come keyboards rarely have the Dvorak?  QWERTY is more frequently used because before keyboard keys would jam when used on a typewriter so adjusting some keys would prevent this from occuring.  Dvork keys are harder to find and offices wont purchase machines to accommodate for workers who cant use it. 

In order to start a support, you must support a momemtum.  For example the start of the railroad industry, institutions were specifically created to suppor this momemtum of railroad construction.  Institutions such as engineer schools and other various schools contributed.  Momemtum is a team effort, organizational bureaucies, machines, acquired skilled workers, etc.  Technological momemtum can have either a negative or positive connotation.  The Manhattan Project was created based out of technological momemtum following WWII to have an atomic defense against foreign enemies but it was also intended to harm humans.

Social Contruction of the Bicycle

The bicyle…a form of vehicle that is so ubiquitous on college campuses has an interesting history.  Who would have thought two wheels attached to a piece of metal would become one of the greatest inventions of mankind.  The bicyle, a human creation also originally had its intent for certain class of people.  Originally created for upper class males to ride, this technological vehicle broke all barriers allowing everyone to have an opportunity.   

Back in the late 1800s, the bicycle had certain limitiations especially for females.  During this era, American women wore Victorian dresses limiting their leg movements.  The original bicyle looks absolutely ridiculous in my opinion and seems also impossible to ride.  Only young men were capable for riding this piece of equipment and everyone else was discouraged and not allowed to ride.  Nowadays anyone and everyone can ride the bicycle but 100 years ago this vehicle meant having power and social status.          

We also went over the Magic Bullet Theory, a theory that is planned, rational, good, and determinist.  The Battle of Tours was highlighted because it first used the stirrup for comfort and agility purpose while on a horse.  This was one of man’s triumph of technology.  So whether or not technology shapes human actions or its what we make of it, the social construction of technology, we humans have to live our daily lives with moderations of technological dependencies