Technology and well-being

Abstract

Technology is responsible for man and humanity transformation; it is a natural response to human beings’ efforts to live in this world and “being well”. Nevertheless, nations’ economic growth –understood by many as the improvement of their citizens well-being together with technological development–, shows a strong relation with environmental degradation and its adverse consequences worldwide.  In view of the above, this work looks forward to identify what kind of relation has technological innovation with human well-being.  To do this, it was conducted a careful reasoning on man's inherent need for "well-being", technological innovation tied to this well-being and its consequences to the "being" itself.  It is concluded that there is a very close relation because technological innovation is part of the very essence of the human race; however, as long as technology development is oriented by particular interests tied to economic and political power, the relationship between "well-being " and the quality of "being" will be inversely related. The evolution of the concept of "well-being" as defined by Marcuse requires a change of lifestyle, and thus innovation should be focused on the design of less harmful technology –environmentally friendly–, allowing people to live well and not just to live better.