Man’s Drive into the Future

by Evan G.

Our readings from Darwin made me think more about how things change and evolve over time. In Origin of Species Darwin said, “…Man in the distant future will be a far more perfect creature than he is now…after such long-continued slow progress" (p. 433). Man is constantly trying to improve himself, chasing an ambiguous idea of perfection. Thinking about man one day becoming ‘god-like’ seems ridiculous to many. Yet, the earliest humans would’ve had a difficult time separating people today with our advanced ways of communication, transportation, etc from the creators of their world. Darwin’s ideas on evolution were in part inspired by geology and the idea that the earth’s features are the result of long term and constant processes. He helped distinguish the different natural processes of change by first examining the evolutionary processes of our earth. The Grand Canyon in particular acts as a metaphor for time and [slow] change. It’s the result of billions of years of the earth’s evolution. Synonymous with continuity is the ‘arcadian’ view of nature as discussed in class, there’s a desire for a balance or continuity in nature often attributed to certain peoples who were considered ‘uncivilized’. The notion of ‘progress’ for Native Americans wasn’t to invent new technologies to improve their lives. They wanted to live in harmony with their natural world by using the knowledge preserved to them through previous generations. From the imperial point of view, progress is characterized by a drive to improve and overcome man’s natural limitations. Native Americans lived a very comparable lifestyle to that of their distant ancestors, in part due to their cultural continuity. On the other hand, in the 20^th century alone Americans went from trains, to automobiles, to planes, and ultimately to the World Wide Web. Such rapid advances in technology have profoundly changed man and his relationship with the world, stemming from an innate desire to govern all of nature.

Humans have evolved alongside major advancements in technology, and the two will only become increasingly intertwined in the future. For most of human history, people mainly relied on fire, farming and hunting tools, and basic shelter to survive. Now almost every aspect of our lives is dependent on advanced and crucially interconnected technologies. Technology is becoming an inner and integral part of our natural landscape. As technology advances it will continue to become less noticeable, more efficient, and increasingly accessible, drastically altering the world. Ultimately, technology will be inside and all around us without us even realizing it’s there. Accepting the significance of technology in our lives is hard for many people, even though it’s a seemingly obvious reality. Technology is slowly, yet in retrospect rapidly allowing us to reconstruct and reshape the natural processes of the world. Yet, there is no type of progress that justifies evil; we can’t ignore the impact that advancing civilization has on all different walks of life and must protect those who aren’t fully aware or prepared for change.