Are there any limitations to technological advances?

[Arising_uk]

Yes, if the religious fundamentalists get their agenda into the public schools. Educated people need to stand up and demand that only science be taught in science class, religion could be taught in a comparative religion class, but not in a science class.

I agree, I hope we don't get this infection from the U.S.

[BigWhit]

There are limitations to technology but I doubt that humanity would reach them even if it continued to advance as it has over the last 150 years into the next 50,000. Eventually, components can only become so small and efficient and there lies one limitation. However, the next revolutionary leap in tech may come through quantum computation if it is in fact possible to produce it for commercial use.

3d, holographic, vr, and many other techs are merely infants at this point.

The limits to technology are what is physically possible and imagination. Both may be exhaustable.

[thedoc]

Are there any limitations to technological advances?

Yes, if the religious fundamentalists get their agenda into the public schools. Educated people need to stand up and demand that only science be taught in science class, religion could be taught in a comparative religion class, but not in a science class.

Religion is much less of a threat to human adsvancement than the scientific dogma. Science is a much greater threa6t to the survival of the species in the next century than religion.

Obviously religion can do a great deal of harm when it controls the mechanisms of government.

Scientific dogma is a "Red Herring" that doesn't exist in the real world, only in the world of science deniers. Science is based on evidence and if the existing theories are demonstrated to be wrong by evidence, they are abandon of modified to suit the additional evidence. Only religion is ruled by unquestioned dogma based on fiction and fantasy. Religions can do great harm when they stifle scientific examination of the world.

[thedoc]

I would say the answer is yes and no depending on what type of technology you're talking about.

There are numerous examples so I'll pick one to get this thread started. Say you want to set your thermostat to 68°F to maintain a comfortable temperature. But during wintertime, it can get very cold outside and with high winds, you have a wind-chill factor that cools off your place below where you'd like it to be. So you set the thermostat to high (in my case, 83°F) to maintain a comfortable temperature environment.

Now a computer can keep track of various factors (wind-chill, humidity, your temperature settings, etc.) and adjust your indoor temperature to the level where it thinks you like the temperature to be. That system is not part of my environment (I make other adjustments) and maybe someday there'll be such a computer system. That would be a technological advance.

What are your thoughts?

PhilX

You must live in a very old home that has poor insulation and sealing. My home is about 6 years old with very good insulation and well sealed windows (and lots of them and very big), but our thermostat is set at 74 degrees summer and winter and the temperature inside doesn't vary by a degree either way. Only in an older house with poor insulation and sealing would you need to set the thermostat at those extreme temperatures to maintain a comfortable environment inside.

[Philosophy Explorer]

I would say the answer is yes and no depending on what type of technology you're talking about.

There are numerous examples so I'll pick one to get this thread started. Say you want to set your thermostat to 68°F to maintain a comfortable temperature. But during wintertime, it can get very cold outside and with high winds, you have a wind-chill factor that cools off your place below where you'd like it to be. So you set the thermostat to high (in my case, 83°F) to maintain a comfortable temperature environment.

Now a computer can keep track of various factors (wind-chill, humidity, your temperature settings, etc.) and adjust your indoor temperature to the level where it thinks you like the temperature to be. That system is not part of my environment (I make other adjustments) and maybe someday there'll be such a computer system. That would be a technological advance.

What are your thoughts?

PhilX

You must live in a very old home that has poor insulation and sealing. My home is about 6 years old with very good insulation and well sealed windows (and lots of them and very big), but our thermostat is set at 74 degrees summer and winter and the temperature inside doesn't vary by a degree either way. Only in an older house with poor insulation and sealing would you need to set the thermostat at those extreme temperatures to maintain a comfortable environment inside.

That's a possibility. Work was done two years ago to upgrade the system. I can definitely say that when it's below freezing with a strong wind that my place can still get cold. Setting the thermostat to 90°F (its highest setting) can get the room temperature to 81°F, BUT it can still feel chilly inside (fortunately I can counteract that).

BTW part of the purpose of the work that was done was to give better insulation.

PhilX

[thedoc]

That's a possibility. Work was done two years ago to upgrade the system. I can definitely say that when it's below freezing with a strong wind that my place can still get cold. Setting the thermostat to 90°F (its highest setting) can get the room temperature to 81°F, BUT it can still feel chilly inside (fortunately I can counteract that).

BTW part of the purpose of the work that was done was to give better insulation.

PhilX

It might be a good idea to go around the house (in warmer weather) with lots of calk and seal all the places where the wind is blowing the cold air into the house. It would make the inside more comfortable year round, and lower your heating and cooling bills. I would think the savings would more than offset the cost of the calk in one season. When the wind is high, take a candle around the house and note all the places where the cold air is coming in, it will help you identify where you need the calk the most. If the walls are tight, perhaps it is the windows?

[Philosophy Explorer]

That's a possibility. Work was done two years ago to upgrade the system. I can definitely say that when it's below freezing with a strong wind that my place can still get cold. Setting the thermostat to 90°F (its highest setting) can get the room temperature to 81°F, BUT it can still feel chilly inside (fortunately I can counteract that).

BTW part of the purpose of the work that was done was to give better insulation.

PhilX

It might be a good idea to go around the house (in warmer weather) with lots of calk and seal all the places where the wind is blowing the cold air into the house. It would make the inside more comfortable year round, and lower your heating and cooling bills. I would think the savings would more than offset the cost of the calk in one season. When the wind is high, take a candle around the house and note all the places where the cold air is coming in, it will help you identify where you need the calk the most. If the walls are tight, perhaps it is the windows?

Heating/cooling bills are irrelevant for me. As far as caulking goes, I don't know if that's the problem as I don't feel drafts in my place. Part of the problem is the air blowing out from the heating unit isn't blowing towards where my bed is located at, but away from it. I don't think the heating unit can be adjusted to have warm air blowing in my direction. To mention I have new windows that are supposed to offer better insulation.

PhilX

[thedoc]

Heating/cooling bills are irrelevant for me. As far as caulking goes, I don't know if that's the problem as I don't feel drafts in my place. Part of the problem is the air blowing out from the heating unit isn't blowing towards where my bed is located at, but away from it. I don't think the heating unit can be adjusted to have warm air blowing in my direction. To mention I have new windows that are supposed to offer better insulation.

PhilX

This would illustrate one of the limitations of science when one depends on the human senses rather than the much more sensitive instruments that are available. The candle flame would detect drafts that the human senses cannot. Sorry for holding you up as an example like this, but there are instruments that can detect things much better than the human senses. Look at the Hubble Deep Field photo, there are thousands of galaxies that the human eye could not detect even with the best telescopes, but the Hubble was looking at the same spot of empty sky for 11 days.

[FlashDangerpants]

Just buy a sweater.
Technology. Fucking sorted.

[thedoc]

Getting back to my point about religions holding back scientific development I would point out that certain Christian fundamentalists believe that the Moon shines by it's own light, and there would be Christian scientists investigating this idea, which would be a waste of time. The Idea is based on a verse in the Bible "Genesis 1:16 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also." and these people interpret this to mean that the Moon shines by it's own light.

[Philosophy Explorer]

Getting back to my point about religions holding back scientific development I would point out that certain Christian fundamentalists believe that the Moon shines by it's own light, and there would be Christian scientists investigating this idea, which would be a waste of time. The Idea is based on a verse in the Bible "Genesis 1:16 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also." and these people interpret this to mean that the Moon shines by it's own light.

How are lunar eclipse accounted for? God didn't pay the electric bill?

PhilX

[Philosophy Explorer]

Just buy a sweater.
Technology. Fucking sorted.

As I said, I already made my adjustment Flash (besides sweaters can be itchy).

PhilX

[thedoc]

Getting back to my point about religions holding back scientific development I would point out that certain Christian fundamentalists believe that the Moon shines by it's own light, and there would be Christian scientists investigating this idea, which would be a waste of time. The Idea is based on a verse in the Bible "Genesis 1:16 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also." and these people interpret this to mean that the Moon shines by it's own light.

How are lunar eclipse accounted for? God didn't pay the electric bill?

PhilX

I hadn't thought of that, but I'll have to run it buy the Religious Fundy's and see what they say?

[cladking]

Science is based on evidence and if the existing theories are demonstrated to be wrong by evidence, they are abandon of modified to suit the additional evidence. Only religion is ruled by unquestioned dogma based on fiction and fantasy. Religions can do great harm when they stifle scientific examination of the world.

When it's said that the earth and sun orbit a spot between the centers of the masses that is more than 93,000,000 miles away this is scientific theory that is exceedingly well established and expressed in term consistent with our definitions, axioms, and knowledge. However most things purported to be theory are actually nothing more than science of the day or extrapolations from scientific models. Obviously some of these things are still true if properly stated but this doesn't change the fact that people think they know far more than we actually do.

[Hobbes' Choice]

You must live in a very old home that has poor insulation and sealing. My home is about 6 years old with very good insulation and well sealed windows (and lots of them and very big), but our thermostat is set at 74 degrees summer and winter and the temperature inside doesn't vary by a degree either way. Only in an older house with poor insulation and sealing would you need to set the thermostat at those extreme temperatures to maintain a comfortable environment inside.

You are talking rubbish.
You do not understand the function of a thermostat. The clue is in the word.