Beyond the Techno-Solutionist Narrative: Human, Ethical, And Structural Limits of Technology in Education, Health, And Food Security
Davendra Sharma · International Journal of Social Sciences Language and Linguistics · 2026
In recent decades, technology has been increasingly promoted as a universal solution to complex human challenges across education, health, food security, and environmental sustainability. While digital innovations, ranging from artificial intelligence and learning platforms to precision agriculture and health informatics, have expanded possibilities for service delivery and efficiency, they have also reinforced a growing techno-solutionist narrative that overlooks deeper human, ethical, and structural dimensions of development. This paper critically examines the assumption that technological advancement alone can resolve systemic human problems. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature across education, public health, development studies, and sustainability research, the study argues that technological interventions are inherently shaped by social contexts, power relations, institutional capacities, and cultural values. The review highlights how issues such as inequality, governance failures, digital divides, ethical accountability, and human agency often limit the transformative potential of technology, particularly in Global South and resource-constrained contexts. By synthesizing evidence across sectors, the paper demonstrates that technology functions most effectively not as a panacea, but as a complementary tool embedded within broader human-centred systems, policy frameworks, and community-driven practices. The study contributes to contemporary debates by reframing technology as an enabler rather than a determinant of human progress, and calls for development approaches that prioritise ethical governance, contextual responsiveness, and human capability alongside technological innovation.