No one need look further than to the computer to understand unintended consequences, Tibbetts says. But look at the problems it's causing, from carpal tunnel syndrome, credit card fraud, First Amendment rights issues and invasion of privacy on the Internet. These were obviously unintended consequences of this technology. He uses the Titanic as a classic example of this phenomenon. While the Titanic's owners never actually claimed their ship was unsinkable, the crews' and passengers' overconfidence in her advanced construction proved fateful.
Tenner points to is a tragic Chicago fire where overconfidence in technology cost many lives.
When it burned during a performance a few months after opening in 1903, more than 600 people lost their lives in what remains the largest American disaster of its kind. A recent example, he says, is the push to mandate trigger locks on guns, which has gained momentum since the Columbine High School shooting incident. The issue of gun violence and youth is a greater social issue and trigger locks are merely a technological fix. Technological fixes are more illusory than a genuine solution. A less pressing illustration of this phenomenon is the creation of fat-free food items, such as potato chips.