Tom Godwin’s “Cold Equations” and Ray Bradbury’s “The Pedestrian” both share similarities in their respective views on the effect of technology on human freedom and individuality in the future.
In “Cold Equations”, if a human stows away on an EDS ship, the computer systems of that ship’s calculations for the exact amount of fuel needed to get from point A to point B would be incorrect: “Additional fuel would be used during the hours of deceleration to compensate for the added mass of the stowaway”, which would infinitesimally miscalculate “increments of fuel that would not be missed until the ship has almost reached its destination” (Godwin 9). Ultimately, Barton, the EDS pilot, had to, by law, “...jettison [Marilyn] immediately following discovery” (Godwin 9). However, he didn't do that; he stalled and tried as hard as he could to somehow spare her life, but her death was inevitable, all because of a flaw in the computer programming of the EDS. This proves the point that technology has limited the freedom, as well as the margin of error, of seemingly inadequate humans compared to the dominating powers of supercomputers.
Next, in “The Pedestrian”, a man by the name of Leonard Mead walks alone every night through the desolate streets of his town, graced with no one else but himself. Everyone is inside their homes, feasting their eyes on …show more content…
In “Cold Equations”, it is law to kill the stowaway if found, all because the computers are exact and do not take into account human mistakes. Marilyn innocently sealed her fate by cluelessly smuggling herself on the EDS ship because she wanted to see her brother. In “The Pedestrian”, computers are against Mead because he is against the use of technology. In both stories, the humans must face the consequences of the harsh standards of a world controlled by technology. Both of these examples prove how technology in the future may limit human
In “Cold Equations”, if a human stows away on an EDS ship, the computer systems of that ship’s calculations for the exact amount of fuel needed to get from point A to point B would be incorrect: “Additional fuel would be used during the hours of deceleration to compensate for the added mass of the stowaway”, which would infinitesimally miscalculate “increments of fuel that would not be missed until the ship has almost reached its destination” (Godwin 9). Ultimately, Barton, the EDS pilot, had to, by law, “...jettison [Marilyn] immediately following discovery” (Godwin 9). However, he didn't do that; he stalled and tried as hard as he could to somehow spare her life, but her death was inevitable, all because of a flaw in the computer programming of the EDS. This proves the point that technology has limited the freedom, as well as the margin of error, of seemingly inadequate humans compared to the dominating powers of supercomputers.
Next, in “The Pedestrian”, a man by the name of Leonard Mead walks alone every night through the desolate streets of his town, graced with no one else but himself. Everyone is inside their homes, feasting their eyes on …show more content…
In “Cold Equations”, it is law to kill the stowaway if found, all because the computers are exact and do not take into account human mistakes. Marilyn innocently sealed her fate by cluelessly smuggling herself on the EDS ship because she wanted to see her brother. In “The Pedestrian”, computers are against Mead because he is against the use of technology. In both stories, the humans must face the consequences of the harsh standards of a world controlled by technology. Both of these examples prove how technology in the future may limit human