Post 2 (Edited Post September 19, 2014)

The main idea or concept I would like to focus on or address throughout this post is taken from Chapter 2, Challenge #1: Unintended Consequences from the textbook. The specific topic I will address in this post will be related to Murphy’s Law and how the author sees it and how I see it.

I will begin by defining Murphy’s Law and then offer a short summary of the chapter itself. Edward Woodhouse describes Murphy’s Law as a clichéd notion that whatever can go wrong will go wrong. This is best understood with examples from history or by relating the concept to an object most people would know about. I think the best example Woodhouse offers in this chapter is that of the automobile and its unintended consequences. Despite what the fuel cell indicator may show, people seem to always run out of fuel at the worst possible time. Some drivers may decide to wait for the next gas station that comes but it ends up being too far or even closed. Also, one must take in to consideration the emotional stress or health problems that he or she is dealing with. Not to say that there may even be a small child crying throughout the ride.

Woodhouse accepts that so-called “unintended consequences” can never be completely prevented and I agree with him. As he writes in the text, “Considerable uncertainty is unavoidable in life, for it is rarely possible to fully predict what will eventuate from new behaviors such as going to college, having a family, or innovating technologically” (19). Based on my experiences, this definitely holds true and one outstanding example I can recall is when I participated in a local spelling bee in 5^th grade for the first time. I was nervous and could not stop thinking about messing up the first word given to me and exactly that happened.

Woodhouse mentions three basic takeaway points that are applicable to technosocial matters. The first point states that positive and negative unintended consequences are a part of all life. The second point says that most people welcome positive results however are always thinking about the bad. For example, a person who recently got hired may be happy for getting the job, but may feel insecure and feel like he or she is underachieving which could lead to being fired. And finally, he writes that societies with a lot of money are able to make investments in economic expertise and data collection to reduce negative economic consequences. These three points make complete sense I am in concord with them.

Despite all the negative experiences and sadness associated with Murphy’s Law, there are still positive incidents that would not happen without uncertainty. For example, the joy of opening gifts, watching a game and not knowing who will win, or even something like not knowing when or where you will meet your future spouse for the first time. Murphy’s Law is crucial to technology and society in general. Many of the greatest discoveries and inventions were due to spontaneous thoughts or events. Isaac Newton formed his theory on gravity based on an apple falling on his head from a tree above him. Many of Apple’s greatest products are a direct result of Steve Jobs’ random ideas and ability to “know what the consumer wants”.

Without Murphy’s Law, it is completely rational to think that technology, science, and even humanity as a whole would not be at this stage. But a downside of Murphy’s Law in relation to technology and science can be the development of the atomic bomb and other weapons of mass destruction. The American government feared that the Nazis would develop a super weapon in their quest for world dominance. Unfortunately for the Americans, the Nazis began testing an atomic bomb that perfectly describes, “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”. The Nazis decision to pursue the atomic bomb ultimately forced America to develop one to “fight fire with fire”. Murphy’s Law cannot be overcome and despite all the unintended consequences associated with it, the positives that it provides almost acts as a counterweight to the bad.