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The story of Scott and Amundsen shows how important it is to choose the right technology to accomplish a task.
Those who live in northern climates know that even today it is very difficult to maintain an automobile in cold weather. Scott's attempt to use a primitive 1900's vintage caterpillar type tractor in the frigid Antarctic enviroment looks very foolish today. The technology was not appropriate to the environment.
We live in an era when much of our technology has gotten so complex that very few people understand how it works. When the Model T made automobiles available to everyone, everyone became a mechanic and could fix their own automobile. Today, hardly anyone can repair their own automobile, though almost everyone can drive. When micro-computers first became common in the mid 1980's, everyone could program their own computer. Today, hardly anyone knows how to program a computer, though most of us know how to use one.
Both these examples point out a social danger that needs to be considered as we become more and more dependent on technology. We appear to be progressing towards a society in which very few people know how the technology works on which we all depend. If only a few people understand the technology, then will they be able to control the rest of society? A very small group of very powerful individuals could develop. Is that the kind of social and political structure we want?
In order to prevent that happening it is extremely important to develop a scientifically and technologically literate society. You do not need to understand how the technology works – much of it is very complex and difficult to understand – but you do need to understand what technology is, and the relationship between science and technology. Only if you do will you be able to make the necessary political decisions to control your own destiny.
