Technological development is an inseparable part of human lives as it influences almost every aspect of everyday routine. During the last centuries, scientific progress provided a large number of benefits, including an increase in life expectancy due to better healthcare and medicine, worldwide communication, superb logistics, and many others. However, technological development and the glorification of science are usually related to the modern world. As humanity now lives in a post-modern era, standard views regarding technology and science are evaluated. Skepticism becomes more and more relevant, and the adverse effects of progress are taken into consideration. Rapid rates of imperialistic growth and expansion prevented rational assessment of possible consequences. In many cases, implementing controversial technologies led to significant environmental problems, representing a primary concern in a post-modern world.
In my opinion, the whole movie “Koyaanisqatsi” may serve as a prime example of rationalization typical for the modern era. It emphasizes attention on the beauty of nature, showing a wide variety of magnificent landscapes, and then demonstrates the aftereffects of rational values. The movie shows both negative consequences, such as pollution and weapons of mass destruction, and positive results, including the monumental infrastructure of large cities. I believe that the current society may not be possible without goal-rational action, yet humanity may rely less on such social action in the future. As already mentioned, goal-rational action is mainly observed in the modern era, whereas the post-modern world reconsiders its values. According to some sources, post-modernism evaluates the rationality of modernism as a set of “narratives,” which are beneficial for certain groups of influential people and do not always correlate with the value of progress (McManus, 2020). In my opinion, the strength and the weaknesses of the movie are closely related. On the one hand, the main strength is that the movie avoids any bias by reflecting reality without imposing any opinions. On the other hand, such an approach may not be suitable for some people, as it does not convey a pronounced idea.
References
McManus, M. (2020). The rise of post-modern conservatism: neoliberalism, post-modern culture, and reactionary politics. Palgrave Macmillan.