The Role And Place Of Nature And Technology In Sustainability (Essay Sample)

Name
Tutor
Engineering Ethics
Date
Haase
Technology and nature are concepts that imply progress and preservation respectively. While technology is associated with the generation and implementation of new ideas, nature is associated with preservation of the earth. In an article by Haase (893), future engineers’ knowledge of the term ‘sustainability’ is gauged through a survey. Consequently, the role and place of nature and technology in sustainability are determined.
According to Haase (893), the term 'sustainability' presents a challenge to groups of engineers in their first year of study at Danish universities. This, the author argues, is due to the enthusiasm that students often have with technology, as well as the challenges and resultant blame the learners soon associate with technology. Thus a dilemma exists on the role of ‘technology’ and ‘nature’ in ‘sustainability.’ There is no clearly defined action associated with the practical operationalization of the concept of 'sustainable technology' (Haase 894). The author takes a keen interest in the way the engineering students use words to describe their understanding of the concepts of sustainability.
Evidence of students’ dilemma regarding their fascination with technology, and the adverse aspects of technology -which destroy nature- is provided through students’ replies to the open-ended question in a survey administered to a group of engineering students in Denmark in September 2010 (Haase 894). One-third of the 3600 engineering students responded to the question on how to categorize sustainability. They gave a description in own words, of the meaning of the term ‘sustainability.’
Drawing on Fairclough's discourse analysis, Haase analyzes student's understanding of their role as technology experts, vis-à-vis nature, and sustainability (as cited in Haase 895).The analysis is based on textual analysis, with grammar, metaphors, and semiotic analyses. The study found that the students used metaphors, put into five major groups, to describe 'sustainability': an efficient machine, balance, a cycle, profitability, and a mental condition. The author points to flows in each of the metaphors. In each of the metaphors, it is clear that where a student has utilized an aspect of nature to describe sustainability, for example defining sustainability as efficiency of machines in terms of input and output, the adverse effect of technology is apparent.
The study points to two aspects that touch on engineering students' understanding of 'sustainability': the 'romanticist discourse' and 'utilitaristic discourse.' Some students' definition of 'sustainability' revolves around nature and the need to make good use of it (romanticist discourse). However, engineering students' main focus is technology, and not necessarily caring for nature or involving human beings (utilitaristic) (Haase 904-905). The two opposing views present a dilemma, as one side upholds environmental sustainability and conservation of nature as technology is viewed as destructive to nature; while another side of the argument posits that nature is within the human and cannot be destroyed.
According to Haase (895-7), the engineering students perceive technology and nature to be two opposing f...