This is truly the passing of a great, great person from our world. As far as revolutions and revolutionaries go, Mandela lived through these concepts almost everyday of his life.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25249520
Friday, December 6, 2013
R.I.P. Madiba
This is truly the passing of a great, great person from our world. As far as revolutions and revolutionaries go, Mandela lived through these concepts almost everyday of his life.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25249520
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
If the key failure in the construction of the androids from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is that they are unable to feel empathy, I suppose that empathy is then integral to what it means to be human. If androids are engineered to be better than humans, is empathy then a hindrance to humans? Would a society of humans without empathy be better?
In Germany in the 1880s the idea of "in-feeling" was presented to describe the idea of the emotional appreciation of another's feelings. But there's a difference between appreciating that someone is going through a hard time and actually feeling for them or with them. I don't even know how many times I have heard the phrase "try to put yourself in his shoes," when discussing the questionable nature of someone else's decisions. This attempt to mirror the emotional experience of someone else is empathy; it allows us to understand the experiences of others without actually going through it. Understanding the emotional experience allows us to forgive when we cannot understand solely by reason.
Sometimes empathy even goes against what we would conclude logically. There are times where we see someone cause pain or commit great crimes, but for some reason we feel bad for them. I know I have had instances where hearing about the background of a young person who committed a horrible crime prevented me from being able to be as angry as I think I should be. If our emotions are our bodies' response to experiences and our thoughts are the conscious, analytical response to the same experience, we understand what we go through. When hearing about someone else's life or witnessing a situation where someone feels a great emotion, we can understand as outsiders because of the progression of events and reasoning. But if emotions are in part a physiological response to being in a situation, then we are lacking in understanding others. Empathy allows us to connect experience and thought, enabling us to feel as though we were in the other person's shoes.
Empathy is what allows us to build relationships, form communities, where all are protective of each other because they understand each other's situations. I say society would not exist the way it does today without empathy. If we were not empathetic, each individual would fight for his own good, tearing down others. There would be no collaboration, no sharing, no forgiving.
In creating better humans, be it androids or posthumans, one of the main focuses is intelligence. Aiming for goals of faster computing, problem solving techniques, being able to observe patterns, etc. But empathy is very primal, requiring little intelligence to be experienced. I think it's interesting that one of the more fundamental, basic ideas of humanity is what gets lost in the translation to artificial intelligence. Maybe because humans build up their memories and emotional experiences as they go, recalling them to relate to other beings. Even if an android could recognize a sad situation, and has seen them before, remembering "being sad" would only bring up the same program, the same sequence. The individual experiences are what cannot be programmed into androids.
An android society might be more productive at first, but I do not think it would be self-sustaining.
In Germany in the 1880s the idea of "in-feeling" was presented to describe the idea of the emotional appreciation of another's feelings. But there's a difference between appreciating that someone is going through a hard time and actually feeling for them or with them. I don't even know how many times I have heard the phrase "try to put yourself in his shoes," when discussing the questionable nature of someone else's decisions. This attempt to mirror the emotional experience of someone else is empathy; it allows us to understand the experiences of others without actually going through it. Understanding the emotional experience allows us to forgive when we cannot understand solely by reason.
Sometimes empathy even goes against what we would conclude logically. There are times where we see someone cause pain or commit great crimes, but for some reason we feel bad for them. I know I have had instances where hearing about the background of a young person who committed a horrible crime prevented me from being able to be as angry as I think I should be. If our emotions are our bodies' response to experiences and our thoughts are the conscious, analytical response to the same experience, we understand what we go through. When hearing about someone else's life or witnessing a situation where someone feels a great emotion, we can understand as outsiders because of the progression of events and reasoning. But if emotions are in part a physiological response to being in a situation, then we are lacking in understanding others. Empathy allows us to connect experience and thought, enabling us to feel as though we were in the other person's shoes.
Empathy is what allows us to build relationships, form communities, where all are protective of each other because they understand each other's situations. I say society would not exist the way it does today without empathy. If we were not empathetic, each individual would fight for his own good, tearing down others. There would be no collaboration, no sharing, no forgiving.
In creating better humans, be it androids or posthumans, one of the main focuses is intelligence. Aiming for goals of faster computing, problem solving techniques, being able to observe patterns, etc. But empathy is very primal, requiring little intelligence to be experienced. I think it's interesting that one of the more fundamental, basic ideas of humanity is what gets lost in the translation to artificial intelligence. Maybe because humans build up their memories and emotional experiences as they go, recalling them to relate to other beings. Even if an android could recognize a sad situation, and has seen them before, remembering "being sad" would only bring up the same program, the same sequence. The individual experiences are what cannot be programmed into androids.
An android society might be more productive at first, but I do not think it would be self-sustaining.
Post-Alien
I found the concept of transhumanism to be quick fascinating. I happen to think that it is not the most useful endeavour humanity could be working on right now, but I imagine it is only a matter of time until we take a more active role in our genetic future. For my creative material in the previous paper I tried to imagine what it would be like to be posthuman by considering an extraterrestrial species who went through the trans and post processes. They were the squidborgs, cybernetic organisms whose ancestors were squid-like. After conquering death, they end up traveling the stars and eventually make contact with Earth. My question is whether it is necessary that we become posthuman, if we would like to eventually leave the planet? Also, why is it that it is often assumed that we should leave the planet? Perhaps it's an extension of our desire to explore, but it also feels like a cop out to me. Is it worth extending human life and colonizing other planets when we, as a species, have yet to figure out how to live on this planet together in peace during the time we currently have?
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
The Android Consciousness
Today I was playing some music, yes I cheat by listening to it on youtube, and a commercial for a new movie appeared. I usually skip right over them when I can, but this one in particular caught my attention immediately. After having some of the discussions in class I was engrossed in the concept of this movie and will probably see it soon after its release. Check it out!
We debated the concept of what it means to be human a few times in class. This idea of blurred lines between the androids and humans was cut short (or at least I believe) by its ability to recognize that it is "alive".
The artificial intelligent "being's" (AI) ability to question what it would be like to be "alive" captivated me. Here in a few lines, artists have captured the concept of an AI's consciousness. It will be interesting to see how artists predict/portray how the interaction between an AI and human would be like.
While the AI is not necessarily in android form here, the movie will catch the eye of many people's attention. Why? Because of fear. Fear of the blurred lines between the human consciousness and that of an AI's. We discussed the idea that we as humans like to put things in "boxes" or categories. I believe one of the largest fears is derived from the religious aspect. A large portion of the world believe's (not saying anything about correctness here) that the consciousness or soul is from a higher power and that our bodies are merely a "carrier" for lack of better term. The ability for us, imperfect beings unlike an omniscient God, to make something with a conscious makes a higher power appear less incredible. I'm not saying that any of the religious ideologies are wrong or that this is the only derivation of the fear, but idea of "playing God" is a scary (and dangerous) concept.
The artificial intelligent "being's" (AI) ability to question what it would be like to be "alive" captivated me. Here in a few lines, artists have captured the concept of an AI's consciousness. It will be interesting to see how artists predict/portray how the interaction between an AI and human would be like.
While the AI is not necessarily in android form here, the movie will catch the eye of many people's attention. Why? Because of fear. Fear of the blurred lines between the human consciousness and that of an AI's. We discussed the idea that we as humans like to put things in "boxes" or categories. I believe one of the largest fears is derived from the religious aspect. A large portion of the world believe's (not saying anything about correctness here) that the consciousness or soul is from a higher power and that our bodies are merely a "carrier" for lack of better term. The ability for us, imperfect beings unlike an omniscient God, to make something with a conscious makes a higher power appear less incredible. I'm not saying that any of the religious ideologies are wrong or that this is the only derivation of the fear, but idea of "playing God" is a scary (and dangerous) concept.
Facebook: Social Tool?
Facebook is an interesting tool. Once used only by college students it has grown to include everyone from elementary school students, to grandmothers to public figures. It is used as a tool for procrastination by people, to creep on future love interests and to promote a product or idea. Once a way to only keep in contact and share pieces of people's lives with people who were supposedly "friends" now it is a necessary piece for a company to survive as well as ideas to be shared. But is the need to be constantly connected all the time a good thing? Is it a good thing that the way products, public figures or idea survive is through Facebook? or if a person that doesn't have Facebook considered weird? When did we go from a society of people to a society of profiles?
I will not argue that I enjoy Facebook and like the way that it keeps me connected to the world. I will not also argue against that it has helped business survive and ideas gain ground, especially in revolutions. But I will argue is there ever a chance that Facebook is perpetuating something that could get out of hand. Is it help move us to a world where people and ideas are only a profile? So then I ask is Facebook a Social Tool or a destruction of Social Interaction?
I will not argue that I enjoy Facebook and like the way that it keeps me connected to the world. I will not also argue against that it has helped business survive and ideas gain ground, especially in revolutions. But I will argue is there ever a chance that Facebook is perpetuating something that could get out of hand. Is it help move us to a world where people and ideas are only a profile? So then I ask is Facebook a Social Tool or a destruction of Social Interaction?
Monday, December 2, 2013
Understanding Humanity
When discussing "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" empathy came up as the most distinguishing factor between humans and androids. Yet I think there is so much more that make us human. Love is a great example, but when I was talking to Lincoln vulnerability came to mind as well. As Lincoln asked me "In the world depicted in People of Sand and Slag, is there still room for love or need for love? Does love require vulnerability, which these people, with their immortal bodies, no longer have?" Vulnerability is another part of what makes us human, maybe not as physical pain as in People of Sand and Slag, but in an emotional shameful way. Brené Brown studies human connection, and through her studies she shows vulnerability and shame are more related to empathy than may be apparent. In two of her TED talks she talks about our ability to empathize, belong, love. I would highly recommend watching her talks if you have any extra time.
"In a poignant, funny talk, Brené Brown shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity." -TED
"In a poignant, funny talk, Brené Brown shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity." -TED
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Drones Deliver
We discussed the various applications of drones a few weeks ago. Check out this video for an idea nobody hit upon in class.
Amazon is currently in the research and development phase of a service dubbed Amazon Prime Air. Essentially, it is a drone product transport system aimed at delivering packages within 30 minutes of being ordered.
In just a few years, a drone may be dropping by your home in order to complete a personal delivery!
Amazon is currently in the research and development phase of a service dubbed Amazon Prime Air. Essentially, it is a drone product transport system aimed at delivering packages within 30 minutes of being ordered.
In just a few years, a drone may be dropping by your home in order to complete a personal delivery!
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