A642.4.3.RB – The End of Innovation
After
listening to Robert Gordon (TedTalk, 2013), I was left with an uneasy feeling.
He had not presented us with any new information, but also did not give us any
hope for future innovation. While he is right about our “lack” of innovation as
of late, what he does not take into account is truly where we came from and
where we are now. Sure development of the car, plane, and electricity is
astounding, leaving us leaps and bounds from where we were a century ago, but
we are still innovating today just on a much smaller scale.
Robert
Gordon (TedTalk, 2013) made me realize he really told us nothing new. Yes, we
have made all of these great advances in the last century. There have been some
slip-ups, which caused some regression, but that does not mean we are not still
working to make advances. Robert Gordon essentially told us things we already
knew without offering any new ideas or hope. This causes audience members, or
myself, to be left with a sense of despair.
Growing
up in the 90’s it seemed like some new advance was being made every single day,
but if you bought into what Robert Gordon was saying you would assume no
advances have been made as of late. While our daily advances may not be as
monumental as the previous century, they are still advances. Each daily
innovation is a step in the right direction. Every single day innovators are
building, thinking, and creating steps to reach a bigger goal in the future.
Therefore,
Robert Gordon’s (TedTalk, 2013) presentation was full of fallacies and
half-truths. While he may have been right in some instances, he was simply
making generalizations of our innovation or lack thereof. As seen in Fallacies
(2014), these generalizations do nothing but mislead the audience. While the
audience may be led to Gordon’s desired outcome, he does nothing to leave the
audience with a sense of hope. In fact, his approach is rather regressive than
innovative.
With that
in mind, I do believe the end of innovation is not upon us. As I have mentioned,
we are still approaching the beginning of our life here on earth and our
technological revolution is only a small fraction of what it could be,
especially when talking about the revolution of medicine. New technological
aids are been created to help doctors into reestablishing their patients’
health. For instance, a breakthrough, two university students have created a
pair of electronic gloves that translates sign language into an robotic voice,
and many other things. As we continue to grow, and our thoughts begin to shift
from concept to concept, I believe innovation will continue. My generation may
be the ones to do this or it could be a few generations down the line, but that
does not mean we should stop believing in the power of innovation. However if
we are to look to the uncertainty of the future with positivity, the
opportunities for innovation are endless.
In the
end, all it takes is one thought to spark a revolution. This idea may lay
dormant for years or be in the head of someone who does not have the means to
turn their dream into a reality. It happens everyday in the world of medicine
and so many other organizations. There will always be someone thinking of the
next great innovation.
References
Fallacies. (2014). Retrieved from http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/fallacies/
Ted Talk. (2013). The death of innovation, the end of
growth. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from
http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_gordon_the_death_of_innovation_the_end_of_growth
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