Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Good work to the site">

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Posted on http://www.allbest.ru/

Introduction

Negative consequences information technologies

Psychological consequences of computerization

Conclusion

List of used literature

Introduction

Modern human life is unthinkable without information technology. According to the well-known free Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia, information technology is “a wide class of disciplines and areas of activity related to technologies for managing and processing data, as well as creating data, including using computer technology.” IN Lately Information technology most often refers to computer technology. Specifically, IT deals with the use of computers and software for storing, converting, protecting, processing, transmitting and receiving information. Computer hardware and programming specialists are often called IT specialists.

According to the definition adopted by UNESCO, IT is a complex of interrelated scientific, technological, and engineering disciplines that study methods for effectively organizing the work of people involved in processing and storing information; computer technology and methods of organizing and interacting with people and production equipment, their practical applications, as well as the social, economic and cultural problems associated with all this. IT itself requires complex training, high initial costs and high-tech technology. Their implementation should begin with the creation of mathematical software and the formation of information flows in specialist training systems.

Information technology as a phenomenon is a double-edged sword. This is the object of endless debate among scientists from all fields of science. And the main question of the dispute is good or bad? Information technologies are limitless opportunities to communicate with different people on the other side of the world, without leaving home, these are gigabytes of information, books, photos, videos, articles, are these stores “on the couch”? Or should we look at it differently - millions of people with swollen red eyes, who do not leave the computer for days, who do not live, but live their lives, forgetting about friends, the rustle of real books from the library and shopping trips that help relieve stress?

And in this essay I would like to talk specifically about the dark side of information technologies - about the negative consequences of communicating with them.

Negative consequences of information technology

A large number of psychological studies have been conducted within the framework of the problem of human mastery of new technologies. Thus, the phenomena of the need to “communicate” with a computer when a user is working and the features of such communication were studied, for example, the need for an anthropomorphic interface and emotionally charged vocabulary, the phenomenon of computer personification, as well as various forms of computer anxiety. In later works on this topic these phenomena were attributed to the manifestation of the subject's tendency to unconsciously liken himself to a computer, comparing his own intellectual abilities and the capabilities of the system.

The second side of human-computer interaction - the problem of the psychological consequences of informatization - deserves no less attention.

Thus, one of the leading experts in the field of computer science, author of the book “Psychology of Programming” - B. Shneiderman raises the question of the responsibility of the creators of computer software for the consequences of their use. At the same time, B. Shneiderman cites the example of specialists - physicists, who were faced with the problem of responsibility for the consequences of the invention and use of atomic energy. Indications of the negative consequences of the use of information technologies can also be found in the letter of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation “On Information Culture,” which talks about the danger of autism in children and adolescents as a result of excessive enthusiasm for information technologies. A.G. Asmolov notes that information technologies contribute to the escape of children and adolescents from reality. Yu.D. Babaeva and A.E. Voiskunsky believe that children who are interested in computer technology may experience a “narrowing of interests due to attention only to the latest information technologies, following fashion in this area.”

However, this is not the only option for this negative influence computerization - there are quite a lot of consequences of informatization.

Examples of such negative personality changes include: hobbies for computer games, the Internet, programming and information technology in general (so-called hacking).

All these types of hobbies, with different phenomenology, have similar psychological mechanisms and characteristics. First, the same phenomenon may be observed in all of these activities: a special state of absorption in the activity called the “flow experience.” This special type of subjective experience was described and continues to be studied by a group of American psychologists led by M. Csikszentmihalyi. In domestic psychology, within the framework of this direction, a psychological study of computer games was carried out. The focus of A.G. Makalatiya’s work is on special states of absorption in an activity, in which the expected result of this activity “retreats into the background in a person’s consciousness and the easily and accurately occurring action itself completely occupies attention.” The flow experience has the following characteristics:

1. Task requirements are perceived as corresponding to skills;

2. The subject experiences a sense of control over his actions and environment,

3. Action requirements are clear; there is quick feedback;

4. Concentration of attention is achieved without subjective effort;

5. The subject has a feeling of merging actions and their awareness; self-forgetfulness.

The experience of flow involves intense positive emotions and is of value to the subject experiencing it. Thanks to this, activities in which the experience of flow is present become internally motivated. In the work of A.G. Makalatiya, it was shown that the experiences obtained from computer games correspond in all respects to the “experience of flow.” Additional mechanisms have been identified that ensure “sticking” during the game. This:

1. a peculiar phenomenon of “unfinished action”, which does not allow the player to forget about the unfinished game;

2. a mechanism strongly reminiscent of the neurotic “escape” mechanism, the player’s desire to forget for a while about an unpleasant reality. In the case of such an “escape,” the intensity of direct pleasure from the game decreases, and at the end of it, fatigue, a feeling of devastation, and irritation are observed.

Descriptions of this kind of involvement in activities can also be found in relation to other types of passion for information technology. Thus, one can find an indication that a similar state is experienced by those who are keen on being on the Internet. Descriptions of the programmers' activities, for example, as follows: "there is something intoxicating about the fact that an entire system can be turned on by an order I give" are similar to the "feeling of power and competence" felt by the subject during the flow experience.

The hackers themselves, in their publication “Hacker's Jargon,” emphasize the similarity of their activities with meditation, ecstasy, and merging with the object of their activity.

It should be noted that the researchers themselves, in their own electronic page on the Internet they emphasize that this phenomenon is universal: despite the fact that people engage in completely different activities, “their descriptions of this experience are surprisingly similar.”

The description of the flow experience is in many ways similar to the descriptions of a subject located in a “virtual” reality - the reality of a computer game or information space(for example, on the Internet). As with the experience of flow, virtual reality exists for the subject in the actual “here and now”; there is no past or future in it. It has been said about the experience of flow that actions and their awareness merge, in a person “in virtual reality, it seems that he is directly involved in the events."

Navigation on the Internet (associated with any type of activity) can contribute to the emergence of a kind of escape from reality, Internet addiction syndrome, in which the process of navigation “drags in” the subject so much that he is unable to fully function in the real world. Thus, on the Internet itself there are already informal consultations that provide assistance to those who suffer from this syndrome; special programs, limiting the time spent on the network. It is also important that it is proposed to include a section “Cybernetic disorders” in the fifth edition of the official classification of mental illnesses in the United States “DSM-5”. In operational terms, the description of this phenomenon is more similar to addiction to alcohol, gambling or drugs: this includes such “symptoms” as tolerance to browsing the Internet, the appearance of psychomotor restlessness, persistent thoughts about what is happening in cyberspace, and a decrease in participation in meaningful types of social activities. or completely abandon it.

computer user psychological informatization animism

Psychological consequences of computerization

Some scientists fear that people will begin to think mechanically by using computers as a model, but others argue that thanks to the extreme specific model a certain style of thinking, working with a computer makes it easier to understand such a thing as a thinking style. On the one hand, the strengthening of logical thinking may be accompanied by some suppression of the intuitive principle in thinking. On the other hand, a computer can contribute to the development of an individual’s cognitive needs and can give a powerful impetus to the development of prestigious motivation.

A computer can be both a means of mastering reality and a means of escaping this reality into the virtual world. Psychologists identify such negative consequences of informatization of human activity as personification, i.e. conscious and unconscious likening of a person’s inner world to computers, extrusion, i.e. the withering away of previously formed, but subsequently became unnecessary skills, abilities, various types and forms of activity (for example, a number of mathematical actions). There are also concerns about the reduction and depersonalization of communication, which are associated with the gradual fading of the role of emotions in traditional communication, which occurs under the indirect and direct influence of IT.

Depersonalization of communication through IT also affects the formation of the image of a communication partner, which is usually reduced to a set of messages produced by him over a certain period of time. Thus, the widespread principle among teenagers of assessing people through a list of what they can do in the field of IT leads to complete or partial depersonification.

Along with the reduction of the image of a communication partner, informatization leads to splitting of the image and the construction of contradictory images. The “silence effect” is known, which consists in the reluctance of people to convey or inform the recipient of bad, negative news or facts. To convey negative information, people prefer to use indirect forms of communication (the phenomenon of preference for “impersonal contacts”). If, in accordance with the effect of silence, exclusively positive information is communicated in direct communication, and negative information is transmitted back through the channel of indirect communication, then contradictory images of the partner will inevitably be formed and recorded.

The phenomenon of animism is manifested in the use of animistic characteristics in relation to IT by both children and adults, arguing the applicability of these characteristics by the fact that computers are supposedly capable of thinking and acting, but are not able to feel (a kind of separation of affect from intelligence). Thus, IT gives an unexpected impetus to the animistic way of interpreting reality.

I'll closereading

Of course, information technology has many advantages - first of all, it is convenience. Now IT is taking over more and more areas of human activity - education, art and communication. But still, the problem of informatization of human life, in my opinion, is very relevant. Here the danger lies not in the departure from book culture, but in general from real natural culture as such towards virtual, technogenic culture. But here it is important to understand that everything is good in moderation. It is the choice of each person - what to watch, what to read and what to listen to.

WITHlist of used literature

1). Babaeva Yu. D., Voiskunovsky A.E. Psychological consequences of informatization // Psychological Journal. 1998, v.19(1)

Materials from the site en.wikipedia.org/

Posted on Allbest.ru

Similar documents

Formation and development of informatization of vocational education. The main areas of psychological consequences of informatization. Some psychological mechanisms of the impact of informatization. Ambivalence of psychological consequences of informatization.

test, added 07/13/2013


Study of the human-computer system. Review of psychological problems arising from human-computer interaction. Psychological study of the frequency of computer use at home by respondents, working time spent at the computer.

thesis, added 06/14/2012


Study of human activity in the Internet environment. Global transformations of personality in the context of the use of information technology. Psychological mechanisms of the impact of informatization on individual and group mental activity.

test, added 06/06/2011


Physiological, hygienic, educational aspects of the use of information technologies in a child’s life. The use of computers in the context of Orthodox religious education. Computer games and research into the effects of influence technologies on children.

thesis, added 03/08/2011


The origin of shyness, the difficulties of studying its genesis, the negative consequences of this trait. Personality characteristics of shy people. Forms of manifestation of shyness, methods of diagnosing it and ways to overcome it: fifteen steps to self-confidence.

course work, added 02/12/2011


Research into issues of psychological barriers and personality activity in psychology. Identification of difficulties in communication between teachers and students. Review of the structure and mechanisms of personality activity. Analysis of the peculiarities of the emergence of psychological barriers.

thesis, added 02/15/2013


Consideration of communication difficulties in children of primary school age in the psychological and pedagogical literature. Diagnostic study of primary school children with communication difficulties. Drawing up a series of lessons to eliminate this problem.

thesis, added 05/21/2015


Features and development of communication with peers in preschool age. Aggression as a form of interaction in childhood. A practical study of aggressiveness in preschool children as a form of manifestation of disturbances in communication with peers.

thesis, added 12/20/2014


Characteristic theoretical foundations technologies for influencing mass consciousness in modern society. Studying information technology models, mechanisms and developing newer methods of influence. Consideration of the Information Security Doctrine.

abstract, added 01/09/2012


Evaluation of the concept of “technology” in the system of psychological knowledge. Study of psychological technologies of career guidance as a problem in domestic sources. Features of psychological technologies of career guidance in preschool and primary school age.

Negative consequences of the introduction of information technology

Along with the “digital divide” and the “virtual barrier”, changes in information technology of work performed can often have a negative impact on people (information noise, etc.) participating in these processes, causing them various negative reactions (information, psychological barriers, etc. .).

Information noise means that in the total volume of received useful data there are extraneous signals (noise). In the IRS, it indicates that as a result of searching for a query, the user received information that did not correspond to his request (irrelevant).

Information barrier – one of the factors that impedes obtaining the necessary information, making it difficult to use documents as sources of information. It is largely caused by the laws of development of information flows: the constant increase in the number of publications, their dispersion in various publications, the aging of publications and, conversely, their actualization. The information barrier affects both the stratification of information and society. Its appearance and deepening are facilitated by such phenomena as information noise, psychological barriers, etc.

Psychological barrier usually arises as a person’s defensive reaction to attempts to change the established sequence of his actions. It is associated with the need to perform new complex types of work, with overloads that appear when searching for data, selecting them from a large array of information received and studying selected materials, sometimes amounting to several hundred or even thousands of documents.

General conclusions

Remember the main thing - information is a multifaceted concept. It includes data, information, messages and knowledge; characterized by its sources, consumers, distribution environment and means of delivery. In this case, for example, not all knowledge, information and data become information.

Information has various properties, for systematization of which they use different variants its classification.

The science of “Informatics” studies the types and properties of information and information processes. Abroad, it is usually called computational science. It distinguishes two main directions: theoretical and applied computer science. The latter serves as the basis for the formation of “industry informatics”.

Methods and ways of working based on the use of information processes to perform certain tasks, creation of information resources, services and products, etc. called information technology. Information technologies have existed since time immemorial - since the formation of human mental and physical activity. Their evolution is usually considered from the moment of the invention of printing in Germany, that is, from the middle of the 15th century. Experts associate the current (6th) stage of information technology development with the use of information technologies in the 21st century. nanotechnology and supercomputers capable of performing various information processes with the help of their combined computing power, located anywhere on our planet and interconnected via telecommunications (the Internet). The properties of information technologies determine the properties of information.

Information technology tools (toolkit) refer to the information technology base or platform. They include hardware, devices and systems (computers and peripherals them, office equipment), telecommunications, software products and software. “Platform” is an important component information technology structures – internal organization of information technology, representing the relationship of its components. It includes hardware and software, databases and user interface.

Information and communication technologies play an important, if not decisive, role in the economic, political, social, and cultural development of modern societies. Information technology is a strategically important industry that affects all aspects of life in any modern society. They create broad opportunities for economic growth and social development of individuals and societies as a whole.

Information technologies have a life cycle. In general, it is characteristic of most living and nonliving objects, for example, humans, animals or plants. The life cycle of information technology means the period of life and effective use of technical means, computer programs, site or portal, communication line connecting, for example, an Internet service provider and its user.

The development of information technology is also associated with the emergence of problems, barriers and risks that create inequality among people (“digital divide” and “virtual barrier”). Changes in the technology of work performed sometimes have a negative impact on the people involved in these processes, causing them negative reactions, for example, rejection and rejection, fatigue, etc., generating information noise, as well as information and psychological barriers.

Life cycle of information. Information sphere

Information can exist for a short time (for example, in the memory of a calculator during calculations carried out on it), for some time (for example, when preparing a certificate) or for a very long time (for example, when storing important personal, commercial, public or government data) . These time periods determine the life cycle of information, consisting of the following stages: appearance, existence and disappearance (“death”).

Since information has a price and is a commodity, it is often perceived as a service, product or product. Here we note that the life cycle of a product affects its two main states.

The first state is associated with the processes of its production, carried out from the moment of preparation of the project to the release of a specific product. It is based on the concept of product lifecycle management (PLM), which combines existing developments into a single integrated solution. It affects the design, technological, and production stages, the completion of which is the commercial stage. This solution includes: 1) a product data management (PDM) system that connects all components and ensures interaction with systems designed for enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), and suppliers (SCM). This concept applies to enterprises with both discrete and continuous production. The implementation of PDM systems helps to increase the efficiency of product development, reduce costs and time for design, improve the quality and cost of products, reduce errors and more easily meet customer requirements. However, enterprises have to solve technological, financial, organizational and psychological problems. At the same time, the greatest of them is the problem of internal disorganization in the enterprise, when there is no common ideology, and various structures try to solve their local problems, as a rule, with cheap software and hardware.

The second state determines the period of existence of the product from the moment of its release, operation, when the product becomes a product or service, and until the end of use (disposal). The life cycle of products and services is discussed in lesson four.

The life cycle is characteristic of most living and non-living objects, such as humans, animals or plants. In information technology in this case we talk about life cycle hardware, computer programs, website or portal, communication line connecting, for example, an Internet service provider and its user.

The development of information technology is carried out through scientific and technological progress(NTP), promoting the creation of new means of production, improvement of various service services, etc. As a result, huge arrays (volumes) of information are created, distributed in society, which form the information environment (sphere).

The information sphere refers to any activity aimed at:

• 1) creation and dissemination of information;
• 2) formation of information resources, preparation and provision of information products and services;
• 3) information consumption.

Negative consequences of the introduction of information technology

Along with the “digital divide” and the “virtual barrier”, changes in information technology of work performed can often have a negative impact on people (information noise, etc.) participating in these processes, causing them various negative reactions (information, psychological barriers, etc. .).

Information noise means that in the total volume of received useful data there are extraneous signals (noise). In the IRS, it indicates that as a result of searching for a query, the user received information that did not correspond to his request (irrelevant).

The information barrier is one of the factors that impedes obtaining the necessary information, making it difficult to use documents as sources of information. It is largely caused by the laws of development of information flows: the constant increase in the number of publications, their dispersion in various publications, the aging of publications and, conversely, their actualization. The information barrier affects both the stratification of information and society. Its appearance and deepening are facilitated by such phenomena as information noise, psychological barriers, etc.

A psychological barrier usually arises as a person’s defensive reaction to attempts to change the established sequence of his actions. It is associated with the need to perform new complex types of work, with overloads that appear when searching for data, selecting them from a large array of information received and studying selected materials, sometimes amounting to several hundred or even thousands of documents.

The pace of development of information technology in modern world are getting bigger and bigger. Computer technology is developing, existing applications are being improved, and new methods and means of informatizing society are being created.

Recently, IT technology specialists have been closely involved in the development of intelligent systems that are being implemented in various areas of human activity. New technologies open up new opportunities, changing our world and making it more convenient. But this convenience is accompanied by changes in the structure of needs and motivation, changes in the way of thinking and lifestyle, skills and even the topology of a person’s physicality. Automated innovative technologies production, transport, social institutions, as well as political, economic and cultural organizations are equipped. This phenomenon changes and reconstructs all business processes occurring in one or another structural unit of the enterprise. And, like any know-how, innovations in the field of information technology have their consequences. These consequences can be both positive and negative, because the revolution in the computer world opens the next page in the development of science and society as a whole.

Electronic computers united into global computer networks, Email, real-time conferences provide the opportunity to rationally use such vital resources as time, health, money. Huge flows and arrays of information, which previously had routine properties, are now becoming the object of computer activity, which allows saving time resources of the organization's employees. A person is given the opportunity to get rid of routine work and engage only in active creative activities that require the imagination, fantasy and creativity of the individual. Telework, telecommuting, expansion of the SOHO (small and home office) sector allow you to work remotely, and this is a positive side of informatization. Thanks to this opportunity, flexible work schedules have become very common for many specialties, and the costs (such as office space, transportation costs, production infrastructure) of all participants are significantly reduced.

An employee of an organization can more effectively use those time intervals when his body works most productively. The emergence of new intellectual automated systems in the agricultural and industrial sectors can save people from hard manual labor, which will subsequently have a positive impact on the health and life expectancy of the population. Another positive aspect of informatization is the optimization of the work of multifunctional centers, which can reduce budget costs, save the time of the recipient of public services and expand his capabilities. The development of e-government ensures increased efficiency of government functions in all areas of social development. The process of informatization is not only a technical and technological process, but also a social one, since it affects most areas of human activity and the person himself. On this moment There is an opinion in society that technological progress has psychopathological consequences. This contributes to the development and chronicity of mental illnesses, especially neurotic diseases. In fact, psychological stress, stress, and irritability of people increase, and this can be seen with the naked eye.

The development of technical means is an ongoing process that causes certain psychological changes. These changes can be very large-scale, for example, phenomena such as cyborgization and disability. Cyborgization is a process in which a person who has technical means, uses them constantly, and does not even notice it, and when not using the technology for a long time, he acutely feels and experiences its lack. First of all, this applies to smartphones, which everyone has. modern man. A mobile phone allows you to access any information located in World Wide Web, allows you to contact people located in another country or on another continent. The smartphone is replacing face-to-face communication; people are increasingly using SMS messages instead of calls. Excessive exposure to the virtual world and social networks causes dependence on them, and the sense of reality in which it is necessary to perform any duties is lost. Live, open communication is being replaced by virtual communication. Moreover, this happens even to the closest people, friends, relatives, family members.

This very often results in misunderstandings, disagreements, and conflicts. By the way, it would be worth mentioning one experiment conducted by a family psychologist at a children's clinic. The experiment was included in the book “To Love or to Educate?” The essence of the experiment was that teenage children were asked to voluntarily spend 8 hours without any gadgets, computers, radio or TV. The results of the test are quite disastrous: out of 68 participants, only three completed the experiment. It turned out that completing a seemingly simple task is very difficult to accomplish without making any effort. Some children had suicidal thoughts, some experienced acute “panic attacks”, as well as direct vegetative symptoms. The described situation allows us to conclude that already in adolescence, dependence on social networks and the Internet in general. Doctors describe more and more new disturbances in human behavior that are caused by the negative impact of the development of information technology. It has already been proven that excessive use of the Internet seriously harms the ability to concentrate on one text for more than thirty seconds. It is becoming increasingly difficult for people to read long articles with complex sentences and concentrate on the content.

Experts have described the eight most common mental illnesses that often develop in people who actively use the Internet and mobile communications. These include nomophobia (fear of being left without mobile phone), phantom call syndrome, cybersickness (“digital motion sickness”), “Google effect”, Facebook depression, online gambling addiction, cyberchondria and Internet addiction. All these violations can be resolved by giving up social networks or reducing the time you use your smartphone. From all of the above, we can conclude that at this stage of development, society faces the problem of informatization more than ever. The contradictory process of general computerization and informatization threatens with serious social consequences.

The variety of ideas and creative approach to work are disappearing, and the quality of education is declining. Unlike traditional society, now the most valuable product of human activity is information and related intellectual property, which embodies huge costs of money, time and labor.

Significant changes are taking place in the social structure of society: the mobility of an economy based on high technology has led to an increase in social mobility in society, since now an individual who has received the necessary education and has access to the latest information has an advantage in moving up the social hierarchy. A particularly important circumstance is that in connection with this, a person’s psychology changes, where feelings “dull” and go deep inside him. When constantly living in virtual space and communicating on a first-name basis with a machine, a person, especially a young person, drowns out the emotional side of the psyche and at the same time develops indifference to the world of human feelings. This leads to an ever greater impoverishment of spiritual life. There is a general value and normative crisis among young people.

Loss of orientation in the value-normative system causes young people either a feeling of confusion and loss of meaning-forming guidelines, or a desire to achieve success and material well-being in life at any cost, relying not on the state or government, but solely on themselves and their family. However, it is also necessary to recognize the enormous positive impact of computerization and informatization on society. Our society is becoming informational, and it follows that it is becoming more civilized, more developed; any individual can gain access to almost unlimited amounts of information. Our society is becoming more and more educated.

References 1. Khakhaleva, O.A. Consequences of the development of information technologies in modern society / O.A. Khakhaleva // Current issues of social sciences: sociology, political science, philosophy, history: collection. Art. by mother I international scientific-practical conf. Part I. - Novosibirsk: SibAK, 2011. - P. 87-94.

Doroshenko Kristina Vyacheslavovna

The rapid development of productive forces, caused by the increase in scientific and technological progress, leads to an increase in human power. But how, for what purpose is this power used? Who benefits from the ever-increasing power of man? To make the discussion of these issues more specific, we should turn to the main directions, the main lines along which scientific and technological progress is carried out.

1. We know that at the modern technological stage of scientific and technological progress, the decisive, pivotal role, the role of a catalyst for production and management activities belongs to information technology. It began to develop intensively in the 40s of our century and in half a century has reached an extraordinary scale and such technical results that could not have been dreamed of several decades ago. The first giant computers performed only a few thousand operations per second. The latest supercomputers already perform billions of operations per second. Their energy consumption has decreased hundreds of times. The first computers occupied several large rooms and required hundreds of kilometers of wires for their production. Modern microcomputers fit on a desk and can be operated by almost anyone. Due to the latest discoveries In the field of high-temperature superconductivity, we can expect that by the mid-1990s, computers that perform tens of trillions of operations per second and have a memory capable of storing the information contained in millions of books will not exceed the size of a human skull. Currently, work is underway to create artificial intelligence. Computers with artificial intelligence will be able to carry out quite complex logical reasoning; they can be entrusted with solving complex problems related to scientific research, designing machines and entire enterprises. They will be able to automatically manage flexible production and relieve many workers, engineers and employees from monotonous, routine work. With the help of the latest personal computers, it will be possible to create modern cottage industries, dramatically increase labor productivity and change the nature of education. Children and adults will have the opportunity to master new information tens of times faster, and scientific knowledge, to which only specialists now have access, will become the property of hundreds of millions of people. People's way of life, everyday life, communication will change, language barriers will collapse. Computers will translate scientific literature and documents from one language to another with little or no human assistance.

Hundreds of thousands of robots and hundreds of fully automated production facilities are already operating based on modern microelectronics. By the end of the century, millions of new generation robots will come into operation, capable of understanding and transmitting human speech, possessing color and three-dimensional vision, tireless, devoid of negative emotions, unperturbed and extremely resilient, automatically operating devices that can largely replace humans. What will all this lead to?

In a capitalist society, even in the most developed countries, there is a huge army of people excluded from the sphere of production activity due to scientific and technological progress. Despite the fact that the development of information technology leads to the creation of a certain number of new jobs, the army of unemployed people generated by robotization and computerization of production is continuously growing. In developed capitalist countries, a new social disease has appeared, caused by fear of modern computer equipment and robots - “technostress”, and in the future the number of so-called unnecessary people excluded from public life may grow even faster. This is explained by the fact that capitalist enterprises see information technology primarily as a means to make a profit. Therefore, the negative consequences of the spread of this technology are not the result of the use of computers and robots in themselves, but a consequence of their capitalist use.

On the contrary, in a socialist society, the development and application of information technology pursues other goals, the most important of which is the creation of conditions for creative work and the all-round development of man. Therefore, the introduction of computers and robots is not subordinated to profit, but to human interests. Currently, socialist countries are embarking on the path of informatization of society and are striving to use its achievements to accelerate socio-economic progress. Systematic retraining of workers is carried out. At the same time, the development of new technologies is planned in such a way that the entire working-age population is employed in socially useful work. But even under socialism, information technology reduces the share of living human labor in the production of material goods. Won't this lead to unemployment here sooner or later? Certainly not. The labor force released in industry will be used for humanitarian purposes, such as educating the younger generation, creating better living conditions for the disabled and elderly, strengthening the physical and spiritual health of all members of society, protecting and restoring nature. More and more people will have access to knowledge. The educational level of society, and at the same time its information and intellectual potential, will grow. Information technology will accelerate the production of new knowledge and its implementation in industry, agriculture, medicine, management, etc.

The volume of knowledge about nature, about ways to conserve it, about the possibilities for extremely economical use and restoration of natural resources will also increase. Thus, the introduction of the most powerful of new technologies will make it possible to take the most significant step in establishing harmonious relations between nature and man, society and its environment. Usage modern computers allows you to create precise and very complex mathematical models(515) interaction between man and nature. With their help, you can accurately calculate the exchange process between society and nature, fully take into account and strictly dose the volume of necessary natural resources, as well as create and, most importantly, automatically control waste-free closed technological cycles. Thus, the development of information technology and computerization of all spheres of social activity gives rise to new opportunities for restoring the ecological balance disturbed by the previous development of society.

2. One of the most important global problems of humanity is the creation of new energy sources. Until now, the main achievement of energy technology remains the use of nuclear energy. However, it is fraught with many dangers and contradictions. On the one hand, nuclear energy makes it possible to obtain cheap electricity and save natural fuel, but on the other hand, it creates a constant threat of radioactive contamination of the environment. But the greatest danger lies in the existence of nuclear weapons. Socialist countries, fighting for peace and nuclear disarmament, have made a number of proposals to reduce the number of nuclear warheads, launch vehicles, ban nuclear explosions, etc. Imperialist circles, under the pretext of strengthening security, which in reality no one threatens, strive to preserve their nuclear power, which poses a threat not only to the existence of humanity, but also to all life on earth.

The latest scientific discoveries allow us to hope that by the end of the century humanity will create a controlled thermonuclear reaction. This will place at its disposal practically inexhaustible resources of energy, with the help of which it will be possible to overcome many of the difficulties standing in its way, to preserve many mineral resources and to limit the use of oil, coal and natural gas only to the field of chemical production. But for this it is necessary that all states in the world, all economic systems put human interests at the forefront, and not the extraction of profit, not the subjugation of other peoples. Such an approach is possible only from the position of socialism, from the position of socialist spiritual values.

At the same time, the production of nuclear energy is associated with great dangers for humans and nature. Wherever a disaster occurs at a nuclear power plant, it can have the most severe consequences for all of humanity, for the ecological system of the entire planet. Therefore, the prospect of further development of energy technology must be considered in close unity with the protection of the natural and artificial environment. The contradiction between the need to protect natural energy sources from depletion and the negative consequences of nuclear energy can only be overcome on the basis of a kind of “technological dialectic”, which makes it possible to avoid the destructive consequences of technological progress for nature with the help of this progress itself.

3. Modern chemical technology makes it possible to obtain new artificial materials that do not exist in nature, replacing natural leather, wood, rubber, wool, some metals, etc.

Chemicalization creates highly effective fertilizers, medicines, and pest control products. All this contributes to better use of natural resources, improved agricultural productivity, improved health and increased life expectancy of people. At the same time, chemical waste pollutes the surrounding atmosphere, water bodies, soil, and seabed. In a capitalist society, where each capitalist pursues his own personal goals, where there is private ownership of land and natural resources, the harmful effects of chemicalization are almost impossible to prevent. On the contrary, in a socialist society the chemical industry can be used to combat the harmful effects of its own production. In the USSR and other socialist countries, huge funds are allocated to combat environmental pollution. Certain results have been achieved in this direction.

4. Scientific and technological progress makes it possible to create waste-free technology. Using the achievements of science, modern industry and agriculture can organize technological process so that production waste does not pollute the environment, but returns to the production cycle as secondary raw materials. Here, modern reducing chemistry and electronic computing technology are used simultaneously. Under socialism, chemicalization and waste-free technologies make it possible to carry out a number of environmental measures and at the same time dramatically improve the artificial human environment. At first glance, it seems that the creation of waste-free technologies is a purely technical and engineering task. In fact, it leads to serious philosophical reflection. After all, biological systems that have developed in nature in the form of biocenoses are arranged in such a way that the animals, plants, and microorganisms included in them complement each other and determine each other’s life activity, and the waste of the life activity of some can serve as a prerequisite for the life activity of others. Carbon dioxide released by animals is absorbed by plants, and the oxygen released by the latter is necessary for animal respiration. For a person interacting with nature, the challenge now is to organize this interaction according to a similar scheme. It is necessary to ensure that the huge amount of already accumulated waste from life and production is used to create useful products and at the same time ceases to flow into natural ecosystems, thereby preventing their destruction. This task is now becoming global and truly fateful for all humanity.

5. The development of biology, especially biotechnology, genetics and genetic engineering, makes it possible today to control the heredity of living organisms. In the near future, the industrial application of genetic engineering will dramatically increase the productivity of agricultural plants and animals. Advances in this area create conditions for the elimination of many diseases, their prevention, general improvement health and increased life expectancy. However, a number of problems arise here that require serious socio-philosophical and ethical reflection. We are talking, first of all, about the fact that the achievements of modern science, genetic engineering, and biotechnology themselves do not lead unambiguously, automatically to predetermined, exclusively positive consequences. The nature of these consequences depends on both objective conditions and subjective factors, such as the level of technological development, production culture, moral and socio-political attitudes, as well as the nature of the social system as a whole. Thus, modern microbiology and virology can, with the help of biotechnology, lead to the creation of new medicines, new food concentrates for animals and people, but they can also give rise to terrible biological weapons, cause serious illnesses, epidemics, etc. New fertilizers and weed control products and pests can lead to increased yields, but in some cases they can cause food poisoning. Now there is both a real opportunity to cure severe hereditary illnesses, and the opportunity to influence people’s heredity for criminal purposes. Therefore, the moral attitudes of scientists and engineers, their awareness of moral responsibility for the results of scientific and technological progress, are acquiring great social significance today. At the same time, progress in the field of biotechnology can also have serious environmental consequences. It can become an important environmental and environmental restoration factor that helps maintain the ecological balance that has been disturbed for centuries, the preservation of which is one of the most important conditions for the existence of mankind. This is why the responsibility of science and technology for our future is so great.

Man, who appeared on earth as a result of the development and complexity of life, was now able to create new forms of life and influence its change on a global and even cosmic scale. This significantly changes our understanding of the essence and world-historical significance of humanity and introduces new serious changes in the worldview and picture of the world (003, 105).

6. Scientific agricultural technology plays a particularly important role in modern society. The fact is that over the course of several thousand years, people have accumulated vast experience in agriculture and cattle breeding, which ensured they received the necessary food. But now, in the conditions of the so-called population explosion (309), many countries and peoples, especially those recently liberated from colonialism, do not have enough food reserves created in the traditional way. Modern science has developed many effective ways agricultural intensification. Taken together, they form the latest agricultural technology. These include the use of highly effective fertilizers, the use of the latest agricultural machinery and electronics, complex irrigation and drainage works, and finally, the selection and breeding of highly productive breeds of livestock, poultry and new types of agricultural plants. However, the consequences of using this agricultural technology are different in different social systems. Thus, some countries in Europe and America produce enough food to provide not only their population, but also the population of other countries. At the same time, they often make food their political weapon, selling and providing it on preferential terms to countries that follow their political course, and denying it to others.

On the contrary, in a socialist society, despite a number of difficulties that have not yet been overcome, caused by stagnation in the economy, everything necessary is being done to provide all segments of the population with high-quality agricultural products. At the same time, the goal is to combine a policy of constantly increasing agricultural production with the implementation of a full range of environmental measures designed to ensure the preservation of fertile soils, forests, meadows and pastures in the interests of present and future generations.

We have considered only the main consequences of scientific and technological progress and some modern technologies in various socio-economic systems. The conclusion that follows from this is obvious: the nature of the consequences of the current stage of scientific and technological progress depends not on the technique and technology itself, not on isolated scientific results, but on the conditions under which and to achieve what goals they are used. The philosophical meaning of our analysis is that the attitude of a person to the world around him or society to nature is mediated by certain social conditions. And if we want to make this relationship harmonious and constructive, not leading to the destruction of nature and at the same time providing favorable conditions for the development of mankind, then it is necessary, first of all, to create appropriate social conditions.

What happened here in the 20th century and in what situation

turned out to be science and technology today, what they promise and what they threaten

hope for the nations in the future? These are already concrete questions, practically

ical ones inevitably acquire political overtones.

Even relatively recently - only half a century ago, science

functioned as if with the processes that developed in

sphere of production, without affecting the social foundations of life

activities of people. Despite some brilliant achievements

natural sciences, scientific research in the eyes of many

were busy with an occupation of importance that could be given

due, but which could not be included on a large scale

into the sphere of business interests. Accordingly, the activities

scientists continued to be perceived traditionally - only as non-

understandable to a wide circle is the work of loners engaged in contemplation

natural phenomena. The situation changed after

The first nuclear device was detonated at Los Alamo. It became

it is obvious that even the most abstract branches of science have

close connection with socio-economic life, with politics.

However, the unprecedented direct impact of science

on the affairs of people is revealed, of course, not only in

that its military use left the question of life open

only through atomic explosions. The immediate nature of this

influence makes itself felt in the sphere of creation, in everyday

life of the population. What consequences will this have for self-

of the person and society in which we live, and what real

new, urgent social and human

problems arise due to this today. If you try

Briefly answer the questions posed and determine the topic

the most important social problem, then the answer may sound

so: the higher the level of production technology and all human

economic activity, the higher should be the degree of development

society, man himself in their interaction with nature.

A similar conclusion was made a long time ago: a deep inter-

and the connection between the development of science and technology and social transformations

development, as well as human development, his culture, including relationships

connection to nature. What new does the new type of development of science bring?

and technology? It aggravates the problems that have arisen here to the limit,

requiring precisely high contact: new technology With

society, man, nature, and this is no longer

only a vital necessity, but also an indispensable condition

both the effective use of this technology and the

existence of society, man, nature. This problem is

has broad significance in modern conditions, since

how it is solved depends on the construction of the scientific and technological strategy

ical progress as a force that can either threaten or

to contribute to the development of man and civilization. And here

on the path to understanding the humanistic orientation of science

are called idols of technocratism.

There is a certain logic in which principles

are coming to the fore at the moment, which is against them

what is real and what is an imaginary alternative. Logi-

how this is determined by objective and subjective factors

social development in their connection with progress and technology

The current situation can be briefly described

in the following way. The utmost intensity of human thought

which, concentrated in modern science, seemed to come to

contact with one’s “anti-world” - with distorting power

inhumane social relations, with alienation from sub-

linear science the sphere of false consciousness, striving to be oil-

owl and it would seem that there can be only one result - the

a massive explosion. But it doesn't happen, or at least

is expressed, although in quite sharp, but limited forms.

max. This is the case, firstly, because specialization

science has gone too far for any contact with

sphere of alienated mass consciousness could affect the deepest

binary, so to speak, essential forces of science; secondly, then

we know that trends have emerged that have a “calming effect” and

Among them, not the last (if not the first) role is played by those mathematics

real benefits that turned out to be directly

associated with the successes of science and technology and have significantly influenced

growth of public mass consumption.

These latest trends were not slow to take shape if

not theoretically, then, at least ideologically - in co-

corresponding technocratic concepts that are absolutely

outline the importance of science and technology in the life of society, asserting

that they transform it directly and directly bypassing social

al factors.

In 1949, J. Fourastier’s book “The Great Hope” was published.

yes XX century", which became the banner of bourgeois reformist technology

nocratism. According to Fourastier, intensive technical and

scientific developments open up opportunities for humanity

evolution towards the creation of the so-called "scientific ob-

society", freed from the burden of political, social,

religious and other antagonisms. Science and technology in this

future society will become the basis of life not only

social organism as a whole, but equally as an individual

ny individuals included in this whole. " Computer-

utopia" proposed by Fourastier was rated as "Great

the greatest hope of the 20th century." In his later works, the French

to make it impossible for the outdated system to exist

themes of values ​​and lay the foundation for a new one, and this is half-

when it will be associated with the emergence of a new cosmic re-

league, which will be a healing principle permeating all

the fabric of the future "scientific society". This reconstruction is co-

are carried out, according to Fourastier, by adherents of science, or rather theologians,

"imbued with a scientific-experimental spirit and familiar with the

the greatest achievements of science."

This is an unexpected result of the reasoning at first glance.

J. Fourastier, natural for technocratic thinking.

Fourastier was one of the first to attract the attention of the world

public to modern problems called global

knowledgeable, including to the problem of man and his future in

connections with the processes of development of science and technology. However, in case

with Fourastier, the pattern of transition from technocratic

whose thinking from excessive optimism to pessimism, from

overexaggerated hope - to disappointment, from absolutization

science - to doubt about its capabilities and even to religious

The views of J. Fourastier are a kind of source of many

other technocratic views. You can be sure of this

study, turning to examples of technocratic thinking,

presented, in particular, in the work of the American sociologist

D. Bell, who speaks of the coming “new society”, post-

built structurally and functionally in direct dependence on

science and technology. D. Bell, believes that in this, as he

named, post-industrial society is determined by -

ultimately there are different types of used in economics

scientific knowledge and therefore the main problem becomes the organiza-

nization of science. In accordance with this, the “post-industrial society”

society" according to Bell, is characterized by a new social structure -

swarm, based not on property relations, but on knowledge

research and qualifications. In the book "Cultural contradictions of capital

lism" - Bell brings previously proclaimed ideas to the point of rupture

between economics and culture in accordance with the concept

"disunity of spheres".

There are many supporters of the “technocratic” line

thinking" who believe that the impact of science and technology

on the individual and society, especially in the most developed countries

world, becomes a powerful source of modern change.

Thus, Z. Brzezinski in his book “Between Two Centuries” asserted

gives that post-industrial society becomes technotronic

ny society as a result of the direct influence of technology

and electronics on different aspects of society, its morals,

social structure and spiritual values. Although Z. Brzezinski,

like many other supporters of technocratic ideas,

clearly spoke about social changes that have a global impact

are given to them only in order to prove the ability of society

Technocratic tendencies are all a distinct development in

beamed from G. Kahn and W. Brown: “The next 200 years. Scenario for

America and the whole world." Touching upon the question of the role and signi-

understanding of science and technology (are they forces of good or evil),

exists between humanity and science and technology. Having found my

density with the help of science and technology, humanity is subjecting

themselves of the danger that lies within them. The authors, however, highly

they are opposed to the implementation of a policy aimed at stopping

reduction or slowdown in scientific and technological progress. Against,

they consider it necessary in some cases to speed up this

development, while maintaining caution and vigilance in order to prevent

preventing or reducing possible adverse consequences

emergence in a relatively full volume of "super-industrial-

national economy", multilateral development trend of Western

new culture will be expressed in continuous economic growth,

technological improvements, rationalism and liquidation

tion of prejudices, finally, in an open classless society-

ve, where the belief in that only people and human

life are absolutely sacred.

Western philosophy is increasingly discovering

There is a desire to avoid the popularization of technocracy. K.Yas-

Persian notes that in Europe Promethean inte-

res before technology. Rejecting the notion of "demonism"

technology, K. Japers believes that it is aimed at

in the course of transformation of human labor activity transforms

call the person himself. Moreover, in his opinion, all

the further fate of a person depends on the method through

yours which he will subordinate to himself the consequences of scientific and technical

whom development. According to Jasper, “technology is only a means, itself

She's not good to herself. It all depends on what will be made of it

a person, what it serves, what conditions he puts it under. All

the question is what kind of person will subjugate it, how will he manifest it?

he himself with her help. Technology does not depend on what it can

to be achieved by it, it is just a toy in the hands of man.

K. Jaspers formulated a clear program, which especially

benefits concerns new technology that can radically

change the structure of human activity. Usage

"high technologies" creates a fundamentally new situation in

sphere of production, everyday life, recreation, changes the worldview in many ways

thinking and psychology of people.

Addressing social issues arising from

using new technology, English researchers -

Member of the National Council for Economic Development Ya. Ben-

dream and sociologist J. Moyd believe that "fast technological

changes unfolding in a free market environment,

entail excessive economic, social, personal

local costs on the part of that part of society that

She is only able to withstand them."

The consequences of scientific and technological progress have given rise to

their time in the West various technocratic theories. Their

the essence boiled down to the idea that the general technicalization of life

capable of solving all social problems. Widespread

The concept of a “post-industrial” society has been discussed

(D. Bell and others), according to which society will be governed by

are the organizers of science and technology (managers), and determine

The main factor in the development of social life will be scientific

centers. The fallacy of its main provisions lies in the ab-

solutization, hypertrophying the role of science and technology in society

ve, in the unlawful transfer of organizational functions from one

new, narrow sphere to the whole society as a whole; what's happening here is

exchange the whole one of hers components. Neither technology nor science

ka by themselves are not able to solve complex political

Problems. We must not forget that technology is

only part of the productive forces, and not the most important one.

Man, as the main productive force of society, is completely

completely fell out of sight of the supporters of this concept. IN

This is her main misconception.

In recent years, direct pro-

opposite concepts of technophobia, that is, fear of

the all-pervasive and all-consuming power of technology. A person feels

feels like a helpless toy in the “iron vice” of scientific and technological

nic progress. From this point of view, scientific and technical

progress is taking on such proportions that it threatens to go out of control

control of society and become a formidable destructive force of civilization

lization capable of causing irreparable harm to nature, such as

the human environment and the person himself. Of course this is

causes concern for all humanity, but should not be accepted

character of an inevitable fatal force, for thereby involuntarily

the importance of rational principles inherent in humanity itself is diminished