Another example I noticed is that the places we live in can also affect the way we perceive nature. To illustrate, people who live in Africa will appreciate a light breeze of cold air, but people who live in a cold place like Alaska won't appreciate that as much. Moreover, religious beliefs can, sometimes, make people more or less appreciative of nature. For instance, Sufism was always known for its interest in nature and its connection to humans, which will encourage its followers to see nature differently.

To read more about Sufism and nature:
https://www.dawn.com/news/730244/sufism-and-nature

Engineers and scientists are frequently confronted with this problem due to their work's nature and the reality that others rely on it. What makes this issue much more difficult is that they are rarely confronted with the danger they choose to incur. Instead, they're deciding whether or not to put someone else in danger. In this circumstance, we may face an even more difficult question about risk: "What risks are we authorized to take?" and if it is morally proper to make decisions for others. The space shuttle Challenger case, where the engineering team made a choice that put the shuttle's crew in grave danger, ultimately costing them their lives, exemplifies this dilemma.

I believe that we will not be able to grow without taking certain risks. For instance, we will not be able to use social media without accepting its harmful side effects, and we will not be able to go around the globe using planes without risking accidents. As a result, we must take a risk to grow and move forward. However, each individual is the only one who may decide to put himself in danger, no matter how significant or minor that risk is. In circumstances where our actions may put someone else in danger or harm them, we must try not to decide since we do not have the authority to do so.

2.   What are some examples of things that money CAN’T buy?

 

       Despite the fact that we live in a society where everything's value and significance has been reduced to a commodity that can be purchased and sold for money, there are things that still aren’t for sale. For instance, one can’t buy others’ emotions to make them love and adore him. People can’t buy their inner peace, their self-appreciation, or satisfaction.

3. What is the difference between “market economies” and “market societies”?

 

The difference between these two concepts can be basically summarized in the fact that market economics are tools to organize the productivity of societies, while market societies are the societies where everything became available for sale.

     For me, based on what I have learned from this class, I would put the tick mark before the word design. That since there is no design that was or will be ever made that can be value-neutral. Each design is created for a reason, and the existence of a reason implies the existence of a value. Therefore, the moral discussion must start before starting the design itself. An example that can illustrate this dilemma is what Katz mentioned in “The Nazi Engineers”. The scientists and engineers who worked under the Nazi regime claimed that they had only done the technical work without looking at its moral implications, which, in result, allowed them to build some of the ugliest weapons, which were used by Hitler to kill the innocent Jews. Hence, I think every engineer should start thinking about the goals and values of his/her work before starting the design process. 

2.   In your opinion, to what extent is our society just or unjust?

3.   In your opinion, what do justice and injustice look like?

     Justice, in the most literal sense, is actions having consequences. Justice also entails that all members of a society are treated equally and fairly and given the same opportunities. The justness of our society is an immeasurable concept, and I don't think that it is possible for a society to be completely fair and just. In order for that to take place, everyone would have to adopt Rawls's "veil of ignorance" which means that when making rules, one should pretend like they could be anybody, i.e., a different race, different sex, or different social class. By doing this, one would ensure that whatever rule or policy is made, someone that fits that description would accept it. In my opinion, I don't think that's possible since humans inherently have their own thoughts and ideas, which they won't easily change. Another way for society to be entirely fair and just would be for everyone to have the same mindset and beliefs, which would then take away the autonomy of each person and hence would eliminate the whole point of justice. Overall, I think we make an effort to create a just society for ourselves, but we fall short for several reasons, such as the individualistic nature of humans.

      Our power over nature, in my opinion, is neither a lasting feature nor a fleeting exception. I believe that people' dominance over nature varies over time, and that there have been periods when they were in command and lived in luxury and comfort, as well as periods when they were struggling to survive. Furthermore, I believe that these periods differ from one nation to the next. For example, during the golden ages of Islamic civilization, when political stability and flourishing scientific discoveries allowed people to live happily, this was not the situation in Europe or many other countries. Similarly, during the industrial revolution, people in Islamic nations lived in harsh conditions and struggled to survive, while western countries grew and developed. These variations are influenced by a variety of causes, including economic, political, and social factors.

         Genetic engineering: Genetic engineering is a positive outcome that we enjoy as a result of scientific progress. Humans may now avoid many diseases caused by genes by altering or editing these genes before they have an influence on the body. This advancement in medicine not only helping by limiting these diseases, but it also saves us resources that would otherwise be used to treat them, allowing us to cure nongenetic disorders too.

         Nanotechnology: Many of our difficulties in several fields can be solved with nanotechnology. Nanomedicine advancements have allowed surgeons to do more efficient procedures that result in the body healing faster and with less pain. Moreover, nanotechnology has enabled us to create processor chips that are quicker and more powerful, with a wide range of uses, particularly in the industrial sector.

         Robotics: One of the positive outcomes of robotics is improving the quality of our lives. An example of that is what we are currently seeing in new cars where the car can fully drive itself. Furthermore, using robots to do dangerous tasks instead of humans, such as disabling bombs and deep-sea exploration, is another benefit we now enjoy thanks to robotics.

         One of my biggest concerns regarding social media is its effect on my mind and subconscious. I fear that one day, technology will control our ideas and beliefs so that we lose an essential characteristic of our humanity, the ability to think. Watching the trailer and the movie itself made me realize that this fear is not unjustified at all since social media companies are currently doing something similar to increase our addiction to their apps. After watching the movie, I became more aware of the ways social media platforms use to make us spend more time on them. Therefore, I started disabling the notifications for the apps that I found myself more attracted to, which eventually enhanced the way I use social media apps and reduced the time I spend on them.

         Although nuclear energy has numerous advantages as an alternative energy source, it may also harm both humans and environment if handled incorrectly. When it comes to nuclear technology, one of the things that concerns me the most is its non-peaceful usage in the development of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons can cause massive destruction and even wipe out entire cities if utilized in war as we saw in several examples during the past century.

         Furthermore, nuclear energy has the potential to affect the environment by increasing thermal pollution, as nuclear power plants use steam water as cooling water, which raises its temperature and alters its chemistry. Another negative by-product of nuclear energy is radioactive waste, which can cause some significant genetic problems to both animals and people in addition to increasing cancer rates among the societies that live closely to nuclear plants.

 

              Today, due to the level of comfort we find in our lives, I think we have become more used to taking things for granted. Water, food, and housing are all examples of things I believe we are taking for granted today. The reason for this may be because we no longer work directly on getting these things; therefore, we don’t appreciate how valuable they are or how hard it was to make them as easily available for us.

Regarding my water source, I know that back in Saudi Arabia our water mainly came from desalination plants that process the Redsea water to make it drinkable. However, I’m not sure about the water source that supplies my apartment here in Lakewood. Moreover, I think the reason why I don’t know about that is that people don’t usually talk about water sources, especially here in the US where most people don’t think of water shortage as a possible issue they may have to face in the future. One of the consequences of not knowing the water sources that supply us is that it will make people less interested in sustaining them, decreasing our chance of saving our natural resources and protecting them for future generations.