Custom «The Impact of Engineering on Society» Essay Paper Sample

Under normal circumstances, the term “Engineering” is used to refer to a branch of Science and Technology that deals with building, designing and the use of engines, structures and machines. Engineering, according to the TheFreeDictionary, is defined as the application of mathematical and scientific principles towards practical ends like, for example, in the manufacturing, designing and operation of effective and economical processes, structures, machines and systems. In the contemporary world, various fields of engineering have been known to exist; thus, it is difficult for various people to differentiate types of engineering fields that are available in a day to day activities. Engineering, despite being a crucial aspect of human life, is also known to have both positive and negative impacts on the society and communities in the world. While the use of engineering has yielded lots of benefits to the human race, it has, on the other hand, contributed towards negative impacts on the society as a result of its use. The use of the internet by the human population is an example of how engineering has positively impacted on the society. This is due to the fact that the use of the internet by the human race over the world has enabled individuals to gain access to vast amounts of information and interact with various people from across the world. Engineering, through the use of the internet, has made the world to become a virtual place or environment in which various tasks have been made easier through, for instance, teleconferencing, teleworking/commuting, e-learning, and e-commerce among others.

Philosophy, being known as the father of Science, is responsible for giving part to a field of science which has greatly affected the world today. This field of science is engineering, which is known to affect each and every aspect of the modern society. Philosophy has also impacted on the socioeconomic structure of the world as a whole. Various aspects of knowledge like Social sciences, Natural Science and Engineering were created out of philosophy. The use of engineering has, however, ignited the use of established scientific laws and theories that are attached with extensive practical work. The urge for leading better lives forced the scientists who existed earlier to indulge into the field of actual engineering inventions, which have eventually created both positive and negative impacts on the world. Engineering has various fields like, for instance, civil engineering, genetic engineering, aeronautics engineering, electrical engineering, and genetic engineering among others.

Through several engineering opportunities, engineers have continually struggled and endeavored to make the world a better place for the existence of the human population. For instance, various engineering opportunities have been established due to the need for faster transmission signals like fibre optics, secure online systems by organisations, and a need for better servers. Such demands have, therefore, led to the creation of various employment opportunities which have enabled various people to gain meaningful employment in various fields and departments of engineering. The creations of such job opportunities have enhanced the economic growth of several countries.

The way people live in the modern world or societies have known to be greatly influenced by the impact of engineering which is responsible for various processes in human life. The use of engineering in various activities in the society has, therefore, greatly enhanced human life. For instance, the impact of engineering on individuals in a society can be greatly felt in the way individuals withdraw and transfer their money or funds electronically via Automated Teller Machines (ATMS), phones, bank accounts and even in balancing their own checkbooks. This is known to occur through the use of online services, which are also known to be used for conducting some other online transactions like in Ee-commerce and for ordering of groceries, pizzas and other products or goods.

The use of engineering in the modern world does not only affect individuals, but companies and governments all over the world. This is true in the fact that most of the contemporary business organisations in the whole world have cut their costs of productions as a result of cutting on the costs incurred due to consistent use of paper work. Most companies and governments all over the world have, therefore, moved from the use of manual paper work to electronic systems thus reducing the labor and costs which are incurred by such firms as a result of paper work usage.

The use of electronic systems, as opposed to manual methods, has positively transformed the way people do business because of the use of engineering. In addition to that, most government organisations, parastatals, ministries, and offices among others have adopted the use of engineering in carrying out their tasks. For instance, governments have speed up the time used in processing of tax; thus, significantly reduced the costs which are incurred by the tax payers by avoiding the paper work and adopting the use of electronic tax filing systems. This has positively impacted the society in that the time spend in carrying out such processes is instead used in doing some other constructive work. This is a clear reflection that the use of engineering indeed has had positive impacts on societies across the world.

The use of engineering has had a positive effect on the society because, unlike before, people are now able to easily access information and communicate with each other because of various technological inventions which are closely or directly linked to engineering. For instance, people in the modern world are now able to communicate with each other despite being wide distances apart through the use of teleconferencing, Skype and other technological inventions. This has positively affected the society and increased the rate at which people do business. The use of engineering has, therefore, made such technological innovations or inventions to become possible. The world has now become enlightened with various knowledge and skills because of technological engineering processes which have not only enabled people to share or exchange vital information, but also enabled people to make informed decisions regarding various issues in life. Engineering activities have made communication to become easier, since it has made various individuals coming from diverse cultural backgrounds to become open minded towards each other thus positively promoting peace and social integration in the whole world.

The use of engineering has had a positive impact on the society in that through its use, families having their distant relatives can now be able to communicate through the use of various technological advances. For instance, families having their kins abroad or in distant places can now be able to communicate with them through the use of technological inventions such as emails, facebook, twitter, internet telephones, and other online chats. Classroom learning and general learning have been enhanced through the use of engineering in that the use of the information highway has made it possible for people to learn in the comfort of their homes. Apart from that, engineering has made it possible for various students, despite of their age and physical distance, to share and research on any topic and consult with other students or tutors form distant places of the globe. On the other hand, tutors are capable of giving their students various assignments and lectures through the use of vital hyperlinks which have online sources having relevant information and the World Wide Web in general. This has all been made possible through the use of engineering and, most specifically, the engineers who are responsible for the manufacture, design and implementation of various web tools!

The future of the world is known to store endless opportunities as a result of engineering. The devising and improvisation of various technological devices in the modern world which have become essential devices in human life like, for instance, the use of television sets, videos, DVDs, Cinemas and others can all be attributed to engineers and their fields of engineering. On the other hand, Genetic Engineering has made it possible for a scientific revolution to occur thus making it easier for best genes to be transferred from one organism to another organism. Despite of the various benefits that have arose from genetic engineering, hot debate has been elicited from various corners of the world who have argued that the use of Genetic Engineering is morally wrong and thus should be shunned since, as they claim, it is like individuals are playing God. Such critics have viewed the genetic alterations or modifications of species, which has included human beings as being morally and spiritually wrong. However, because of its potentiality of treating and most possibly curing various types of cancer and other chronic ailments, other individuals have viewed Genetic Engineering as being beneficial to the human population.

Despite the fact that engineering as a field has had numerous positive impacts on the society, it is also responsible for several negative impacts on the society which have led to losses and human suffering. For instance, the use of engineering has led to the development or invention of computer systems which despite of having positive impacts on the society, have also led to negative impacts. For instance, some young people have been known to use computers which are connected to the internet in downloading pornographic and obscene contents from the web which are negatively used in altering their sociological thinking and behavior. As a result, such obscene contents are known to erode the morality of the young people who end up committing rape cases and, eventually, being put in jail. Apart from that, people of different ages and social backgrounds have emulated contents obtained from the media which influence them towards committing various crimes against humanity. For instance, some of the crimes committed by various people have been known to result from the behavior emulated from such media like T.V, the internet, and even movies. This has, therefore, negatively impacted on the society because it has led to higher crime rates in various societies across the world.

The use of engineering has also been known to negatively impact society in that the planning and construction of buildings have affected the environment due to flooding which has also led to loss of human lifes and destruction of property. The use of computers in the society has also led to numerous cases of data privacy issues in which some organisations have lost their confidential information to intruders or hackers who have used such information to negatively affect such organisations. The use of electronic operations by an organisation as opposed to the use manual methods, not only puts such companies at higher risk of contracting malicious programs or viruses from the internet, but also puts their confidential information at a higher risk of being accessed by unauthorised people or intruders. The ever changing computer technology also necessitates for such organisations and even individuals to keep updated with such relevant technology; this implies that costs should be incurred like, for instance, in buying new and updated antivirus programs and also upgrading operating systems.

Hgh unemployment rates prevalent in various societies all over the world can also be attributed towards the use of engineering by the society which has been responsible for the invention of several technological devices. Such devices have replaced the work initially done manually by human beings and thus rendering such human personnel to become jobless. The jobless people, eventually, contribute to high crime rates which are prevalent in contemporary societies across the world. Despite of making work easier for human beings as a positive aspect or impact of engineering on the society, engineering is also responsible for the creation of unemployment in societies because of machines which replaced human beings in their places of work.

Engineering has caused negative impacts on the society due to overbuilding. Overbuilding has made most of the land to become covered by concrete or tarmac and, therefore, when it rains, the water instead of sinking into the ground to the water table, is driven into drains which can’t withstand or cope and thus causing flooding. Flooding is known to cause various forms of suffering on human beings like drowning and destruction of property. Besides that, flooding can also lead to loss of wildlife, plant life, soil erosion, famine and even pollution. Engineering also has a negative impact on the society because in some circumstances, students ask other individuals to do assignments and homework for them with the intent of submitting such work as their own. Such trends negatively affect the kind of work produced by such students in their ensuing professions or careers. It, therefore, leads to “half-baked” individuals in the academic arena who cannot competently handle tasks and assignments given to them.

Engineering, on the other hand, has negative impacts on the society in that about each and every teenager existing in a civilised or modern world has a cell phone through which he or she can communicate with friends most of the time. The use of cell phones has replaced traditional ways of killing boredom like playing and physical exercises. Long ago, young people could at least exercise while having lots of fun with their friends. Nowadays, the use of engineering has made young people to become lazy by just sitting around and watching television sets while making calls on cell phones for long hours. The use of technology could even replace close friends because people would prefer watching television sets and making calls instead of spending their time with friends. The use of engineering has, therefore, been used negatively in the society and thus causing social problems in it.

Engineering plays crucial roles in the society through the various tasks which are played by engineers that eventually impact the society in both transformational positive and negative changes in the fields of public administration, governments, non-governmental organisations, businesses and various breakthroughs in sciences. For instance, the use of computer machines, which are designed and manufactured by engineers, have enabled various business entities across the world to get a cutting edge over their competitors as a result of adopting the use of information technology in their operations. Engineering is attributed to the various information technological skills which have helped businesses enterprises to achieve greater heights in various fields of their operations like advertising, marketing, and recruitment among others. The use of online marketing and sales strategies by such firms has greatly enabled them to have a competitive advantage over their rivals thus making them to achieve higher profits. Through engineering, computer machines have been introduced into the business world and made business firms to cut on costs which could otherwise been used in the employment or recruitment of personnel to carry out tasks done by computer systems.

The use of engineering in society has affected it negatively because of the many wars that are prevalent in various parts of the world. The use of engineering has made it possible for bomb makers to make use of cell phones in order to set off some improvised devices, or the IEDS killing scores of people across the world. The use of engineering like, for instance, atomic engineering, has led to the manufacture of atomic bombs and other explosive devices which have been used to kill human beings. Without the use of engineering, deaths which result from the use of bombs and other explosive gadgets could be reduced significantly. In addition, many of the wars being carried out across the world could have been lessened were it not for the use of engineering which has made it possible to manufacture and supply various arms and ammunition. The various conflicts being witnessed in different parts of the world can, therefore, be attributed to engineering, which has made it possible for the invention of new strategies and tools which are to be used in modern wars. Some countries have also been known to compete with each other in the manufacture and use of weapons and nuclear technology thus negatively affecting society.

Since time immemorial, the impact of technology and engineering in particular, has been known to come under dispute in various societies across the world. The construction of dams in various parts of the world and their impacts on agriculture and environment has gained the notice of not only politics, but also technological innovations like cell phone and the internet which have changed the way humans work, live and even think regarding the world they live in. Highways, on the other hand, have been known to be man made economic barriers which have divided low income sections of towns from more affluent sections. Engineers are known to take on major societal roles like shaping and designing society. Various societal conditions are attributed towards the impact of engineering on society. The building of a main interstate highway in a city affects the society in that it will bring in a flow of individuals into and out of the city. The opinion of an individual that is formed when passing through a city is formed by what such an individual sees in such a place. Engineering, therefore, plays a great role in forming perspectives of a particular area; thus, it can either generate positive or negative opinion in the minds of an individual passing through such an area.

Societal impacts created as a result of engineering can be well reflected through the numerous highways prevalent in various cities across the world. A city’s or town’s vitality or vibrancy can be destroyed through a major highway that has been built in such a particular town or city which may pass through a vibrant yet impoverished ethnic business area or ethnic neighborhood. In order to give space for building new interstate highways, churches, shops and offices belonging to community leaders are destroyed thus creating a negative impact on the society. In addition, a neighborhood having its unique identity can, as a result of engineering, become split into two half’s, and the newly constructed highway becomes a barrier which makes it difficult for children who were initially playmates to meet again and play together. Such children stand a risk of being involved in accidents as a result of crossing several lanes of a highway. Engineering creates a negative impact on the society because it affects the convenience of residents towards accessing some parts of the city or town because of the construction of highways with several lanes. The safety of individuals is compromised due to their numerous crossing of the lanes designed and build by engineers. The lack of human element by engineers when designing infrastructure to be used by human beings is also responsible for the deaths that have occurred due to collapsed bridges and buildings.

Societal impact of engineering is also reflected through telecommunication engineering in the design and implementation of new innovations which have quickly changed the way human beings communicate, how they work, and the way they live. It is through telecommunications that individuals are able to see how engineers can be able to shape the society through their numerous designs. Rather than individuals traveling to physical office spaces located in downtown areas, it is now possible for such people to work from their home offices through the use of telecommuting. A growing trend of communication among young people has also arose as a result of instant messaging systems which has made it possible for youths to interact regardless of physical distance very quickly.

The use of engineering has created social barriers between the have and have nots in the society and, therefore, negatively affecting it. The programs and gadgets which have been designed as a result of engineering like cell phones, computers and internet services are too costly and, therefore, making the poor in the society not to afford them. Such technology is known to be a preserve of the rich and, therefore, creating social barriers in the society. The economically disadvantaged and minority people in the society cannot afford such programs and gadgets. In addition to that, procedures and applications like, for instance, scholarships or academic applications have predominantly turned to the use of the internet; thus, individuals who are economically disadvantaged cannot afford such, rendering them to also become technologically disadvantaged.

The use of engineering is known to virtually affect each and every aspect of the society and even engage the population in further carrying out the plans and designs of the engineer. The use of engineering is known to play vital roles towards responding to the needs of the society as well as shaping such needs. Despite the fact that the society has benefited a lot from advances in technology, it has as well experienced fears and dislocations associated with it. Engineering has made society to increasingly become independent on technology and also become ambivalent about the same. The impact of engineering has also affected the society in that the advance in technology has greatly affected economies in various countries. For instance, the financial crisis affecting most countries in the world can be attributed towards the advancement of engineering and computer technology which have enabled the establishment of new exotic securities that are derivative in nature thus amplifying the risk in the financial systems of various countries. In turn, such impacts have affected and created a dramatic impact on the society, its economy and the society’s way of life. It is, therefore, very likely that the continued use of engineering by the society will result in permanent and dramatic changes both to the society and its economic system. As a result of engineering, the society can be able to visualise the economic effects or implications resulting from the use of new engineering technologies that may emerge in the coming years or decades. The use of engineering technology has been intertwined with globalisation of the society to shape the twenty first century and eventually looked for ways through which some economic realities regarding the future might present new approaches in dealing with the global challenges that face the society like climate change and poverty.

The use of chemical engineering has made it possible for various foods to be mixed with different chemical contents which are either known to affect society negatively or positively. Whilst some of the food products are mixed with vital chemicals having nutrients which are beneficial to the society through the use of engineering, some are lased with chemicals which are destructive to the human body and thus leading to deaths. Such chemicals include cholesterol, which is known to block the veins of the human body thus leading to illnesses which eventually kill the people. As a result, it can be ascertained that while the use of chemical engineering can have a positive impact on the society, it is also known to result into negative impacts which eventually destroy rather than enhance human life.

The use of engineering by the society has resulted into negative impacts on it in that engineering has led to the manufacture and use of different kinds of machines which are known to emit various forms of chemicals and emissions into the air and the environment in general. The emission of such chemicals and other harmful substances has led to the pollution of the environment. Once the environment is polluted, various forms of illnesses can be caused as a result of such harmful circumstances. The society is, therefore, greatly affected as a result of such chemicals and, therefore, becomes susceptible to various forms of illnesses and effects as a result of a polluted environment. High costs are incurred by the society in its endeavor to prevent and even cure diseases related to the pollution of the environment and in worst cases, deaths even occur because of illnesses. As much as engineering is responsible for the design and manufacture of some machines and other devices meant to aid human life, it is also responsible for the suffering of the society because of such machines which pollute the environment. In order to positively impact the society, engineers and engineering in general should aim at designing and developing solutions which aim to conserve rather than destroy the environment.

The use of engineering has made it possible to extend the lives of patients who are in a vegetative state. Engineering has made it possible for the manufacture and subsequent use of machines which are used in the intensive care unit (I.C.U) with a view of prolonging the lives of patients in order to delay their deaths. The use of life support machines which are attributed to Engineering in ICU’s has divided the society into two, with one sections advocating for the use of such support machines while the other part of the society is against the use of such life support machines to prolong the lives of critically ill patients with a view of delaying their deaths. Without engineering, the use of life support machines could not exist and as a result, the society could have been united on issues regarding death or end of life decisions. The use of engineering has therefore made the society to become divided on issues regarding end of life. While some people in the society have argued that is prudent to use engineering devices to extend or prolong the lives of patients who are in a vegetative state, others have argued that doing so is both spiritually and morally long and that death should be left to take its own course. Individuals in the society have argued that using devices that have mostly devised through the use of engineering to prolong the lives of vegetative patients is spiritually and morally wrong, since it is like competing with God.

Given the fact that the use of engineering has both negatively and positively affected the society, all efforts should be done to ensure that the positive impacts exceed the negative impacts. This will render the society to appreciate the use of engineering and counter any negative effects that may arise as a result of its continued use. Beneficial rather than destructive impacts should be sought from the use of engineering to make the society and the whole world to be a safer place to live in. Technological innovations and inventions linked with the use of engineering should be utilised for the enhancement of human life rather than its destruction. This can only be achieved if all and sundry will work hand in hand and cooperate positively.