The beginning

Through class discussion, reading “ The Invention of Morel” and the selections in “Radical Alterity” ideas and concepts have flooded my mind. Jumbled thoughts in no particular order with reason but with very little rhyme. Because of this I decided to write my ideas in how they appear in my notes, random but they are things I find particularly interesting.
It often seems as though humans are slaves to habit and routine. We take comfort in conformity and often times it seems as though our entire worlds can come crashing down on us due to the slightest change in our uniform routines. We have come to the point where individuals who can adapt to changing routines are admired in not only the work place but also in life in general. Humans who constantly have to change and adapt with an ever-changing world many times fear the most seemingly insignificant changes. Why and how is it that the human race and the Western world in particular is so innovative in the ever-changing, fast-paced world of technology can be so afraid of change and embrace familiarity but fear the unknown? This has been a characteristic of mankind for thousands of years.

The question came up in class, what is the cost to us when we make things more intelligent, what do we gain what do we lose? When thinking about this, a couple of things come to my mind. I believe that the more intelligent we make computers, robots, and machines the greater the humbling affect it will have on us. Through out history we, as humans, have recognized ourselves as the dominant species on the planet especially intellectually. With future technological innovations will humans eventually have to “pass the baton” to machines that intellectually surpass us? Where will that future take us, a society that is already extremely reliant on machines and computers. We put so much love, care, and faith into inanimate, man-made objects. Where will we fit in a world where machines don’t just help us because me may need help with math equations or help us walk again due to an amputated leg, or tell us what the weather is like outside but rather perform tasks that were once believed to be unique to humans, and humans alone? But then again that seems to be where the bar is often set when it come to robots and machines, to make them more human-like than they have ever been before.

We may eventually have to compete as to which is the greater being, a question that has been so easy to answer in the past. Would the fact that we created these beings answer the question appointing us the superior being and if machines do eventually surpass us intellectually what would stop them from creating and innovating like we have, or would we want to stop them from doing so? These are questions we will soon have to ask ourselves in the years to come. There is a fine line between having machines that assist us and being completely reliant on them, a time we are steadily entering. We would like to believe that we will always be able to differentiate a machine from a living, breathing human but it seems as though we are being lead or blazing down the path to this reality. I can’t help but relate this to the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, mankind’s attempt to reach heaven or be like God. Could this be a modern day tower, man’s attempt to be more God-like? Each day we get closer and closer to achieving a task that has always been unique to God, the creation of human life.