WEEK
5
TOPIC: The Digital Mind and Body:
Introduction:
Thinking about this topic is a reminder of what Flew said about Ubiquitous
Technology as to the rate at which technological devices are widely spread and
interlocked among various networks with multidimensional functions infused in
our daily lives. (Flew, T. 2005). This
is made possible via series of concepts which I will like to mention below.
Key Concepts:
Some
of the key concepts discussed in class include:
·
The
robot,
·
Artificial
Life (Alife),
The Robot: (Cerf, V. 2013)
described Robots to be useful engines. He also drew our
attention to what (Isaac Asimov) the science imaginary author said concerning
Robots on ‘the interconnection of robots and programming enhancement
influencing human bodies with concrete results
and the clear contrast between processor hypermedia manufacturing
company and cybernetics in terms
associating with the immediate environment. Robots as situated objects on
the other hand can be seen as man-made in-organic beings that act upon pre-arranged
commands and not on nonrepresentational information.(Rodney, Brookes.2002).
ALife: The
making and learning of realistic creatures and methods is what artificial life
focuses on. Artificial Life is made of synthetics for the purpose of
communication. These modern systems came out as a result of computers.
Ecologists and processor experts are hopeful in making computerized human
beings the same way the intellectuals in the medical field devised artificial
environment for living organisms. (Steven Levy).
Critical
Thinkers:
·
John Steven’s research on Emergence indicates
that it is a state of imagining how complicated systems could be born out of
easy conversations with no preparation. (John Steven)
·
John, McCarthy. (1956) saw Artificial Intelligence
as the act of employing both theoretical and practical knowledge to manufacture
brainy equipment.
Contemporary
Issues Arising: One
obvious issue confronting the artificial world is the medical implications of
electrical rays in the destruction of cells in the body. (. Another point to
note is the serious side effects that come after undergoing plastic surgeries.
The body part transplant trauma is yet another factor that should not be
overlooked. (Ija, A. 2012) and (Paul,
D.M. 2013) respectively.
Critical
Questions: The emergence and adoption of New
Technologies in all aspects of human life and performing sensitive roles in
strategic positions in place of a man in recent times had giving rise to
several questions. Are Machines taking the place of humans?. In an attempt to
answering that question, the researcher opined that “Our daily lives are
pre-dominantly occupied by smart phones and at present, they are important
tools in the hands of customers as signs of attaining social status, do business,
gain knowledge, get information and as communication enhancer. This however has
extended to the younger generation as well”. (Merchant,Guys. 2012).
Liu, Allen (2012) among many researchers gave cogent analyses
on how the study of the Digital state of
humanity did not only concentrate on how to enhance human labor but also
how technology can mainly take the place of man in dynamic ways to fit into the
advanced level of learning and emerging high-Tech companies.
The use of Three-Dimensional Machine in enhancing human lives
as regards heart transplant and the likes is another welcome development.( Moceri, Pamela. 2012)
In contrast of the this case study, this piece of writing shows
the significance in Simmel’s attitude towards life. He supported the Irony
behind the pre-existence of a person in fluid form, into an individual and
that, living and dying is inevitable to everything that has breath. (Pyyhtinen,
Olli. 2012), (Kevin Warwick 2006).
In buttressing the previous
argument, Polanyi also bore his mind on the “Irreducible Structure of Life” by
saying “despite how clear physical science and interaction justify their claims
on the inferior procedural stages of life, it still cannot fundamentally spell
out the general development and complex philosophy guiding animate creatures.”
See also Roger Faber (1986) and Robert Faber (2007).
In summary, it is pertinent to
note at this juncture that technology has come to stay and will continue to
develop and infused into human minds, activities, and environment and bodies to
the extent that separating the two will be quite challenging. The
claims of Researchers on the negative impact of robots on the society ( Ng, Parry P.W. 2012) cannot in anyway be compared to the benefits that come with it. (Yucel,
Gulcin. 2012) and (Ng, Parry P.W.)
In conclusion, the use of
Robots should be encouraged because of the indescribable roles it had played in
industries and to individuals at large. It is a boost for industrial
productivity, life supporter, detector and intelligence information source, useful
tool in times of war to protect territories and will still be more helpful
especially during anticipated wars that might happen due to political crises in
the world but It will be fairer if the consistent use of Robots will not
displace people from not being employed.
Possible
Literature Avenues:
Articles and Books were sourced in and outside the University of Bedfordshire
Library. Conference and peer reviewed materials were taking from same sources.
Possible
Multimedia: Computers, Drones, Industrial
Robots, Bomb Disposals.
Books: Flew,
Terry. (2005). New Media: Introduction.
South Melbourne, Vic :Oxford University Press.
Journal
Articles:
Cerf,
Vinton G. Communications of the ACM. Jan2013,
Vol. 56 Issue 1, p7-7. 1p. DOI: 10.1145/2398356.2398358. , Database: Business Source
Premier.
Iji Ayobami, B; Zhu, Forest; Heimlich, Michael;
Dutkiewicz, Eryk. 2012 International Symposium
on Communications & Information Technologies (ISCIT) , 1/
1/2012, p139-142, 4p. Publisher: IEEE.
References:
Cerf, Vinton
G. Communications of the ACM. Jan2013,
Vol. 56 Issue 1, p7-7. 1p. DOI: 10.1145/2398356.2398358. , Database: Business Source
Premier
Iji Ayobami, B; Zhu, Forest; Heimlich, Michael;
Dutkiewicz, Eryk. 2012 International Symposium
on Communications & Information Technologies (ISCIT) , 1/
1/2012, p139-142, 4p. Publisher: IEEE.
Life, Death and Individualism:
Pyyhtinen
Structure of Life by , Olli.
Theory, Culture & Society , Dec2012, Vol. 29 Issue 7/8, p78-100,
23p. Publisher: Sage Publications.
Liu, Alan.
Arts & Humanities in Higher Education, Feb2012, Vol. 11 Issue
1/2, p8-41, 34p. Publisher: Sage Publications. )
Kevin Warwick;Virginie
Ruiz. In Artificial Neural Networks (ICANN 2006) /
Engineering of Intelligent Systems (ICEIS 2006),Neurocomputing. 71(13):2619-2624 Language: English. DOI: 10.1016/j.neucom.2007.06.017, Database: ScienceDirect Merchant, Guy. British
Journal of Educational Technology. Sep2012,
Vol. 43 Issue 5, p770-782. 13p. 1 Color Photograph, 1 Chart. DOI:
10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01352.x.
Moceri, Pamela; Doyen, Denis; Bertora, David; Cerboni,
Pierre; Ferrari, Emile; Gibelin, Pierre; Echocardiography, 2012 Sep; 29 (8):
970-7. (journal article - research, tables/charts) ISSN: 0742-2822 PMID:
22563905, Database: CINAHL Plus with Full Text.
Polanyi
Polanyi, Michael; Goldstein, Jeffrey. Emergence: Complexity &
Organization.2012, Vol. 14 Issue 4, p139-153. 15p. , Database: Business Source
Premier
Flew,
Terry. (2005). New Media: Introduction.
South Melbourne, Vic. :Oxford University Press xvi, 304 p. ; 23 cm.
Yucel, Gulcin. International Journal of
Production Research. Jan2012, Vol. 50 Issue 1, p161-176. 16p.
DOI: 10.1080/00207543.2011.571452. , Database: Business Source Premier Gutmann, Jens-Steffen; Culp, Kristen;
Munich, Mario E.; Pirjanian, Paolo.
2012 IEEE Workshop on Advanced Robotics & its Social Impacts (ARSO) , 1/
1/2012, p50-53, 4p. Publisher: IEEE.