Technology and Development

Abstract

There is a strong belief among many that some of the serious problems the world faces today can be solved by technological means. The advances made in the areas of renewable energy are some of the examples of the way technology can come to mankind’s rescue. Another is the work being done in space exploration that may lead to the mining of asteroids for metals that are being depleted on Earth. The reason technology is an “issue” is that it is not clear who should lead the efforts in this area and what should be done to mitigate the worsening of income inequality that will likely result from technological advance. While the fiscally constrained government in the United States is now spending a smaller proportion of the country’s gross domestic product on technological development, a number of newly minted billionaires have come together to pursue their own ambitions. Bill Gates, for instance, is investing large sums of money in renewable energy. The founders of Google are interested in prolonging life and developing driverless automobiles.