In session 2 of TWC, we discussed about how
technology and world dominance are correlated, the dimensions of Global
Dominance, and lastly human development. We went through some really intriguing
articles on colonization and the atrocities that were left out history
textbooks, and this really gave me another point of view regarding colonization
that I was never exposed to.
Professor Shahi also shared his views using his
self-crafted model. The rising star, dominant player and falling star model.
This again reiterated one of the key messages from the first lesson: change is
necessary. Reluctance to innovate will cause one's downfall. Thus being hungry
for new ideas, knowledge and innovations is extremely important no matter which
sector of the economy you belong to.
Millennium Development Goals was the UN's response
to human development. Human development is basically helping individuals
maximize his/her full potential. The Millennium Development Goals is a set of
goals established by 189 UN nations in 2000 to achieve significant human
development by 2015.
There are so many aspects of Human Development,
including life expectancy, education and income. I feel that the most crucial
factor is life expectancy. It is the basis of human development because if someone
cannot maximize their time on the earth, it is impossible to maximize their
development. Having a good education and maximizing wealth can only be built on
the foundation of life expectancy.
So we are left with around 1 more year to 2015, are
the goals being accomplished? Are people in developing countries living longer
lifes? The answer is yes, at least for the aspect of life expectancy. According
to statistics by World Health Organization, the Life Expectancy at birth in the
less developed continent of African increased from 50 to 56 on the average from
1998 to 2011. This clearer shows some positive effects of the MDG. Though the
change may be rather small, it is nonetheless an improvement and it is
definitely worth cheering for.
I felt that one extremely interesting and debatable
topic was brought up towards the end of the lesson-the topic on Eugenics. I
felt this is probably one of the more intriguing topics and it really has a
huge potential to be discussed in much greater extent. The discussion was cut
short, however due to time constrains.
One very important argument brought up was how
religion may act as a barrier towards innovation. Is it right to play God? Is
it ethical to choose the genes? While it may seem really lucrative to be able
to choose good genes for the next generation, I feel that it will cause more
problems rather than good. While one of the constant aims around the world is
to close up the income disparity, the introduction of eugenics will just make
the problem worse. If people were really allowed to choose genes, the rich who
can afford eugenics will get more and more successful while the poor who can’t will
just face a downward spiral.
Personal ratings: 9/10. I felt the session was really
informative and interesting, especially when 5 of my classmates presented their
individual presentation. It brought forward some insightful arguments from the
class and I really learnt plenty from this experience. In fact the debates and
arguments were so in depth and intense such that we actually overshot the time!
Really looking forward to more of such discussions next week.
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