McLuhen, agree or disagree?

            McLuhan makes an impressive smack down of General David Sarnoff's statement that "The products of modern science are neither good nor bad, it is how they are used that determines their value". McLuhan states that "There is simply nothing in the Sarnoff statement that will bear scrutiny, for it ignores the nature of the medium, of any and all media in the true Narcissus style of one hypnotized by the amputation and extension of his own being in a new technical form."

            I must agree with McLuhan’s point. The nature of the medium, what the product was intended for, is what determines its value. To put it another way, the use of the product is a secondary consideration to the use for which it was created.

People tend ignore the purposes of certain objects (i.e. guns, bombs, any sort of weaponry) in light of how they are used. The crimes that are committed using these weapons are blamed on the use and the wielder instead of the existence of the object itself. Oftentimes we do not realize the social implication of having these things at our disposal. The gun culture of the States, for example, has had significant impact on the events in the past century. A significant amount of people from the states fight vehemently for the right to bear arms, despite what has happened with guns to civilian populations.

            To elaborate this idea further, another technology impacting society today is green energy and the harnessing of renewable resources. Because of the ease with which the general populace can access green energy, there has been a movement towards sustainable living, moving away from oil and coal and towards solar and wind energy. If these technologies were not at our disposal, there would be no interest in ecologically friendly power.

The reason for green energy’s existence is to conserve our resources, to become more self-sufficient and help slow the release of carbon into the atmosphere. By these standards, the medium is “good”

            If these mediums were not at our disposal, the shape and form of society would be significantly different. The medium is intertwined with its purpose and its impact on society, not merely the way in which it is used.