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The title can't be serious... Computers allow designs for planes, cars, and other devices to be modeled and understood better than was ever possible by hand. Pr

The title can't be serious... Computers allow designs for planes, cars, and other devices to be modeled and understood better than was ever possible by hand. Progress on fusion reactors relies on computer modeling of plasma flows that was impossible to do by hand. Weather forecasting saves lives and uses computers to model weather patterns, uses satellites (that have computers in them) to collect weather data. From medical devices, to communication, to industrial applications... computers are used throughout the entire economy. I think this article should really be: web developer wonders if there's more to computers than websites. Because I guarantee the scientist that used a computer to model disease and create a vaccine is not wondering if computers make the world better.

EvanAnderson 6y ago
That's nearly exactly what I came to write. The OP should read-up on what "computers" were in the the early 20th century, and the error-prone toil that "automatic computers" sought to replace. There's so much that couldn't ever exist today if not for automatic computation.
notriddle 6y ago
Computers allow lots of boomboom boomboom boomboom. All of which has made life worse.
austhrow743 6y ago
If you take it as a given that stronger economy, more people, and more tech make the world a better place then yeah obviously computers make the world a better place. Any questioning of what the world being a better place means should involve questioning those though. With other animals we look at them stuck in zoos as being a worse existence than in their natural environment, and zoos are at least intentionally designed for the animals wellbeing. For ourselves the technological progressivist sees moving away from our natural habitat as inherently good. Electricity, the steam engine, antibiotics, and agriculture all exist. We’ve been through multiple levels of life changing technological advancement yet people in general don’t seem particularly happy nor fulfilled. Better planes, cars, and other devices seems a moot point if those things didn’t get the job done. Hell, those things exist and people still kill themselves, or need a cocktail of antidepressants to make it through the day. You would think if technological progress improved lives at all then such marvels would have managed to move the needle enough that rich western worlders who never have to directly expend effort on any of their basic needs ever again wouldn't intentionally kill themselves.

EvanAnderson 6y ago

That's nearly exactly what I came to write. The OP should read-up on what "computers" were in the the early 20th century, and the error-prone toil that "automatic computers" sought to replace. There's so much that couldn't ever exist today if not for automatic computation.

notriddle 6y ago

Computers allow lots of boomboom boomboom boomboom. All of which has made life worse.

austhrow743 6y ago

If you take it as a given that stronger economy, more people, and more tech make the world a better place then yeah obviously computers make the world a better place. Any questioning of what the world being a better place means should involve questioning those though. With other animals we look at them stuck in zoos as being a worse existence than in their natural environment, and zoos are at least intentionally designed for the animals wellbeing. For ourselves the technological progressivist sees moving away from our natural habitat as inherently good. Electricity, the steam engine, antibiotics, and agriculture all exist. We’ve been through multiple levels of life changing technological advancement yet people in general don’t seem particularly happy nor fulfilled. Better planes, cars, and other devices seems a moot point if those things didn’t get the job done. Hell, those things exist and people still kill themselves, or need a cocktail of antidepressants to make it through the day. You would think if technological progress improved lives at all then such marvels would have managed to move the needle enough that rich western worlders who never have to directly expend effort on any of their basic needs ever again wouldn't intentionally kill themselves.