Opinion: New innovations must clear

hurdles on way to acceptance

By Calestous Juma, Project Syndicate, adapted by Newsela staff on 08.22.16
Word Count 900

A Chinese worker sits next to orange robot arms at Rapoo Technology factory in the Chinese industrial boomtown of
Shenzhen on Aug. 21, 2015. Factories in China are rapidly replacing those workers with automation, a pivot thats
encouraged by rising wages and new ofcial directives aimed at helping the country move away from low-cost
manufacturing as the supply of young, pliant workers shrinks. Photo: AP Photo/Vincent Yu

CAMBRIDGE Technological breakthroughs are often praised for their power to overcome
development challenges, fuel economic growth and move societies forward. Yet
breakthroughs often face barriers to implementation. Governments sometimes ban new
technologies outright even those that could bring far-reaching benets.
Consider the printing press. Among other things, the new technology was a boon to world
religions, which suddenly had an efcient way to reproduce and spread sacred texts. Yet
the Ottoman Empire forbade the printing of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, for nearly 400
years. In 1515, Sultan Selim I is said to have decreed that occupying oneself with the
science of printing was punishable by death.
Why oppose such a benecial technology? As I argue in my book, "Innovation and Its
Enemies: Why People Resist New Technologies," the answer is not simply that people are
afraid of the unknown. Rather, resistance to technological progress is usually rooted in the

fear that change might bring losses in employment, income, power and identity.
Governments often end up deciding that it would be easier to prohibit the new technology
than to adapt to it.

Ottoman Leaders' Motivation For Ban

By banning the printing of the Quran, Ottoman leaders delayed job losses for scribes and
calligraphers, many of whom were women who were gloried for their mastery of the art of
writing. But protecting employment was not the Ottoman leaders' main motivation. After all,
in 1727, they did allow non-religious texts to be printed, despite protests by calligraphers.
The writers responded to the decree by putting their ink stands and pencils in cofns and
marching to the High Porte in Istanbul.
Religious knowledge was a different matter. It was both the glue that held society together
and a pillar of political power. Maintaining a monopoly over the sharing of that knowledge
was critical to maintaining the authority of Ottoman leaders. They feared going the way of
the Catholic pope, who lost considerable authority during the Protestant Reformation, when
the printing press played a key role in spreading new ideas to the faithful.
Of course, putting up barriers to technological change does not always start with the
government. Those who benet from the current system may push their governments to
impose bans. They may do so through protest, as the Ottoman calligraphers did, and as
Irish opponents of genetically modied potatoes did in 2002, marching in Dublin to
express their opposition to the death of good food.

Those Against Innovation Use Misinformation

Opponents of new technologies may also use slander and misinformation an approach
that has certainly succeeded in the past. In 1674, English women issued a petition against
coffee, alleging that it caused sterility and thus should be consumed only by people over
60 years old a very small market at the time. The following year, King Charles II ordered
the suppression of coffeehouses. However, he was probably motivated more by the desire
to protect the market share of local beverages, such as alcoholic drinks and then-newly
introduced tea, than by the infertility rumors.
In the 1800s, the American dairy industry spearheaded a similar misinformation campaign
about margarine. These butter proponents claimed that margarine caused sterility, stunted
growth and male baldness. They claimed that margarine contained diseased and spoiled
beef, dead horses, dead hogs and mad dogs.
In response, the federal government introduced restrictions on margarine, covering
everything from labeling, as with genetically modied foods today, to the use of articial
coloring and movement between states. New taxes favored the butter industry over
margarine. In 1886, a Wisconsin congressman declared his plan to destroy the
manufacture of margarine "by taxing it out of existence.

Resistance to tractors in the early 1900s took a slightly different form. Producers and
traders of animals that pulled heavy loads feared a shift toward machinery, which
threatened their way of life. But they knew that they could not improve their product faster
than engineers could improve theirs, and thus that blocking the spread of tractors would
be impossible. Instead, they pursued a campaign touting the virtues of farm animals. The
Horse Association of America issued leaets declaring that, A mule is the only fool-proof
tractor ever built. The group also pointed out that horses could reproduce themselves,
whereas tractors dropped in value over time.

Recognizing And Addressing The Downsides

People almost never reject technological progress out of sheer ignorance. Rather, they
ght to protect their own interests and livelihoods, whether that be operating a dairy farm
or running a government. As we continually attempt to apply new technologies to improve
human and environmental well-being, this distinction is vital.
Avoiding barriers to technological progress requires understanding and addressing its
downsides. For example, as machines become increasingly capable, robots are replacing
a growing number of workers. It will not be long before those robots will be able not only to
perform more complex tasks but also to learn faster than workers can be trained. Just like
fewer animals are used to pull heavy loads, it's likely that some workers will be replaced by
machines.
However, if we recognize these losses and address them head-on, we can avoid a
backlash against potentially benecial technological improvements, including advances in
robotics. The key will be to ensure that those who are likely to lose from the disappearance
of old technologies are given ample opportunity to benet from the appearance of new
ones. Only then can we make the most of human creativity.

Quiz
1

Which of the following sentences from the article BEST develops a central idea?

Read the sentence from the section "Recognizing And Addressing The Downsides".

The key will be to ensure that those who are likely to lose from the
disappearance of old technologies are given ample opportunity to
benet from the appearance of new ones.
Does this sentence support the MAIN idea of the article? Why?

(A)

Yes; it argues against government intervention in technology.

(B)

Yes; it addresses the issue of dealing with change from technology.

(C)

No; it does not comment on the multiple historical examples provided in the
article.

(D)

No; it does not relate to the author's argument about the loss of jobs.

Complete the sentence.

The author of the article is MOST concerned with...

(A)

the history of how technology has been adopted by society.

(B)

the government's role in regulating technology.

(C)

the spread of misinformation about technology.

(D)

nding ways to allow everyone to benet from technology.

Complete the sentence.

The author appeals to the reader's sense of logic by...
(A)

using historical examples of technology that is now commonplace.

(B)

arguing against fear and misinformation.

(C)

describing how the printing press was regulated by the Ottoman Empire and
Roman Catholic Church.

(D)

detailing governments' role in preventing the spread of technology in the

past.

Answer Key
1

Which of the following sentences from the article BEST develops a central idea?

Read the sentence from the section "Recognizing And Addressing The Downsides".

The key will be to ensure that those who are likely to lose from the
disappearance of old technologies are given ample opportunity to
benet from the appearance of new ones.
Does this sentence support the MAIN idea of the article? Why?

(A)

Yes; it argues against government intervention in technology.

(B)

Yes; it addresses the issue of dealing with change from technology.

(C)

No; it does not comment on the multiple historical examples provided in the
article.

(D)

No; it does not relate to the author's argument about the loss of jobs.

Complete the sentence.

The author of the article is MOST concerned with...

(A)

the history of how technology has been adopted by society.

(B)

the government's role in regulating technology.

(C)

the spread of misinformation about technology.

(D)

finding ways to allow everyone to benefit from technology.

Complete the sentence.

The author appeals to the reader's sense of logic by...
(A)

using historical examples of technology that is now commonplace.

(B)

arguing against fear and misinformation.

(C)

describing how the printing press was regulated by the Ottoman Empire and
Roman Catholic Church.

(D)

detailing governments' role in preventing the spread of technology in the

past.