Sean F. Johnston, the author of The Technological Fix as a Social Cure-All believes that science is an incredible asset in fixing many of the world’s issues. Especially those related to our social lives. He uses examples of technologies that have been solutions in the past such as the invention of vitamins and the use of microbes that clean up oil spills to prove that technology could be a valuable tool in solving modern problems. He believes technology could fix issues in education, diet, will power, and lack of experience (Johnston, 51-52). However, his point is not readily agreed with. Authors Jeff Douthwaite of Commentary: The Terrible Temptation of the Technological Fix and Michael and Joyce Huesemann of Techno-Fix make a point of explaining that the world may be too complex for social issues to be fixed with technology. Douthwaite expresses his concern for the repercussions of technology in the long-term. He says that technology is a short-term fix and is not completely understood (Douthwaite, 32). Additionally, Michael and Joyce Huesemann believe that technology does not address the interconnectedness of the world. They believe a balance must exist and that toying with nature to fix people’s problems could cause irreversible damage (Huesmann, Huesmann, 9). These authors disagree with Johnston because the effects of technology are not understood and may not be understood for years into the future.
Technological fixes to social problems have repercussions that are not intended because many are new and have not been studied for very long. Some have not even been studied for a single generation so we remain in the dark on the effects of these technologies and the new problems that they could present. Because of this I think we should be cautious about how we search for technological solutions. We must think about what we are replacing in the world and what we are taking away. As well as the effects it all has on our fellow man.