Question: Subject: Society and Technological advancement
1. List a few jobs that have been rendered obsolete by technological change. Are some of these jobs so unpleasant that they are better done by machines? On the whole, have more " good" jobs or " bad" jobs been eliminated by technological advance?
2. What new products and services have been created by technological advance during the past 20 years or so? To what extent are they " essential" parts of contemporary life?
3. Is there anything problematic about an economy that centers on the production of services instead of the production of goods? Is a country with such an economy in an inherently dangerous position when it confronts international economic and political competition?
4. In what ways is economic globalization similar to technological change in regard to job losses? Does it make sense to try to block either technological change or economic globalization in order to preserve jobs?
5. Should federal and local governments come to the aid of workers who have lost their jobs because of globalization and technological change? Is this a legitimate role of government? If so, what sort of policies and programs might be formulated to meet workers' needs?