Question 1)
Part A)
The Leonid shower tonight, or some other planet, moon, or other astronomical phenomenon
I found an interesting article on ALH84001. It is a meteor that scientists believe originated from Mars. This meteor might hold the crucial evidence we need to find out one of life's greatest mysteries. So after reading this article, I believe we should " check out" Mars. It is very close by(relative to how enormous space is). We need to do more then just send rovers there. I would like to see a manned mission to Mars. This will be the ultimate test to whether or not this planet holds life. The most compelling information about this excerpt is that many signs of life come just from a few millimeters of space rock. The signs of life that one might see from a meteor is not staggering unless you take into account of how probable the signs might show life to be. When these clues are very close in proximity it is encouraging for people who want to answer that big question. I personally believe that life finds a way to exist even in harsh environments. For example, the tube worms that live near the Ocean vents. They can withstand very high temperatures that scientist would not think is normally conducive to promoting life. Thus I believe simple microbial life exists in many places in the Universe.
"In 1996, a meteor was found in Allan Hills, Antarctica. Upon examination, it was discovered that this meteor, which is 4.5 billion years old, fell to the earth 13,000 years ago, and possibly contained evidence of life on Mars. Inside the meteor, along tiny cracks, scientists found evidence of what many believe to be ancient bacteria.There are four main clues which bring some scientists to this conclusion. One is that the meteorite is definitely of Martian origin and that it contains carbonate globules. The second is the presence of polycyclic aromatic compounds, which are complex organic molecules. The third piece of evidence is the presence of iron and other compounds which appear to be like those made by bacteria. The last, and perhaps most intriguing , is the pictures of the possible fossilized bacteria themselves. When taken separately, these pieces of evidence probably wouldn't amount to much. But what is compelling is that all of these pieces of evidence occur within millimeters of each other.
However, skeptics still remain. Some simply aren't sure, while others are certain that this meteorite contains no evidence of former life.. However, all agree that convincing evidence would contain proof that the fossils had cell walls, that the cells had been divided, and that chemicals more closely related to living organisms as we know them be found. And so, the debates continue. While these debates over ALH84001 occur, the science community continues its pursuit in finding signs of life, extant or extinct, on Mars."
provided from:
http://www.chem.duke.edu/~jds/cruise_chem/Exobiology/search.html
Part B)
There are a few possibilities I could think of considering make a "new Earth" for humans to dwell on. The most probably and my favorite possibility is settling on the moon. Here we could harvest what scientists believe is an abundant source of Helium 3. Helium 3 or H3 is very uncommon Helium isotope on Earth. Scientists have synthetically made H3 and used it for cold fusion. With cold fusion H3 leaves very little by product and is almost 100% efficient. It has been postulated that there is enough H3 on the moon to power the Earth for 1000 years. If we had an energy source that abundant we could live on the moon for quite sometime. Energy is one of the biggest necessities for humans. If we had that much power just for the Moon we could perhaps create a thicker atmosphere for the moon. We could do this by pumping large amounts of certain chemicals in the moon's atmosphere in order to slowly make it similar to Earth. Once this is done we could transport water from Earth and start to grow plants. Another pro from using the Moon as a "new Earth" is the close promixity to Earth itself. One con is that the moon itself is not that big. We could not sustain as many people on the moon.
Question 2
I discussed the presentation with Dr. Berleant. I did not have time to create a class presentation due to the my extremely busy workload with Senior Design 2. I will be sending him a video of my presentation. I have decided to further my semester topic by further talking about present scientific and technological breakthroughs that are leading us towards trans-humanism. This will be place under the section of the
"Possible applications for trans-humanism..." . I will emphasize the point that transhumanism is already occurring on a small scale.
Wikipedia states that transhumanism is, "Transhumanism is an international intellectual and cultural movement supporting the use of science and technology to improve human mental and physical characteristics and capacities. It can be argued that this mental and physical improvement already occurs. People use pace makers to regulate their heart beat. The pacemaker is a machine that we have integrated with the human body in order to promote physical health. This is just one example. We can also look at prosthetics. Many people who have lost limbs use prosthetics to aid them in walking. I recently read an article that stated some new prosthetics actually make some people run more efficiently then normal humans with no prosthetics. This article was written in relation to the debate about whether or not "disabled" humans can compete in "non-disabled" humans competitions, e.g. races. People also use blue ray headsets to talk to people. This can be seen as an early version of a phone that we will be able to be implanted into the ear. People are already getting hearing aids made for them and this progression will lead to hearing aids better then the most able human can hear. Many people also use contacts,. Perhaps one day contacts will be "machined". We could then look at things in night vision and perhaps zoom in on far away objects. Scientists have been recently doing studies with using brain waves to control video games. Perhaps these brain waves can be projected so that humans could wear a headset and control many electronic devices around them without even touching them.
In conclusion I will state that the earliest form of transhumanism is already here. In the future we will see a more full extent of transhumanism that will lead us to the new version of man known as homo evolutis. I believe stating this will show that tranhumanism is not a theory but a fact that will become more apparent with the more technology we use to aid our mental and physical capacities.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Homework Assignment 13
1) Recall the relevant class. Comment on Toxoplasma Gondii. What do you think??
I believe Toxoplasma Gondii is a very interesting phenomena. I would like to relate it to the future. What if a genetic scientist could use this organism as a blue print to make an organism that directs people's minds? I have watched videos by renown scientist Craig Venter. He helped map the human genome. He gave a speech on the ability to program "blank cells" to perform desired tasks. A malicious example would be a new air borne plague that could wipe out the human race. You might think this if far-fetched, but programming cells if cutting edge technology. We could also look at how the mind works. With the release of certain chemicals in the brain we can experience different emotions. What if someone injected you with a serum that made you angry. Then they brainwashed you to hate North Koreans. They could eventually convince you to fight in a war against North Korea. We can also look at rabies. It is common knowledge that Rabies can cause a person to become agressive. True serum also generally makes people oblige to questions in even difficult circumstances.
I believe this organism had mild effects. I do not think a high number of indivuals have this parasite as stated by a source I looked at. It was interesting to see the side affects to personality. I thought many of the symptoms shown are innate to men and women naturally. However, it could be nice to check for this parasite. Who knows what limitations someone has had on themselves by not trying to cure this disease.
So in conclusion, this disease had a mild affect, but could be used in the future for harmful or manipulative applications.
2) Add more to your project. Put the new stuff in a new blog posting. Consider new material that has some connection to Toxoplasma Gondii. Alternatively, it could have a connection to some other parasite or disease, or parasites or diseases more generally. Or it might be about something completely different...your choice!
I think we could use Toxoplasma Gondii in the future as an application that will help manipulate human behavior. We can upload an altered form of this disease in order to help control people's behavior. For example, the American government could have a new breed of soldiers. These soldiers could use different physical machines integrated into their bodies to help make them more atheltic, agile, and robust. If we can convince humans to allow this amount of body modification, perhaps the government could convince them to alter their minds during war time. They could download this disease. Perhaps it could make them react quicker, act tougher, control their actions during fighting, etc. I believe that future soldiers will have body modifications, and I do not think they could complain if scientists found a way for them to act more efficiently and safely when engaging the enemy. So I do believe their is an opportunity for Toxoplasma Gondii or another mind altering disease to play some affect on trans-humanism.
I believe Toxoplasma Gondii is a very interesting phenomena. I would like to relate it to the future. What if a genetic scientist could use this organism as a blue print to make an organism that directs people's minds? I have watched videos by renown scientist Craig Venter. He helped map the human genome. He gave a speech on the ability to program "blank cells" to perform desired tasks. A malicious example would be a new air borne plague that could wipe out the human race. You might think this if far-fetched, but programming cells if cutting edge technology. We could also look at how the mind works. With the release of certain chemicals in the brain we can experience different emotions. What if someone injected you with a serum that made you angry. Then they brainwashed you to hate North Koreans. They could eventually convince you to fight in a war against North Korea. We can also look at rabies. It is common knowledge that Rabies can cause a person to become agressive. True serum also generally makes people oblige to questions in even difficult circumstances.
I believe this organism had mild effects. I do not think a high number of indivuals have this parasite as stated by a source I looked at. It was interesting to see the side affects to personality. I thought many of the symptoms shown are innate to men and women naturally. However, it could be nice to check for this parasite. Who knows what limitations someone has had on themselves by not trying to cure this disease.
So in conclusion, this disease had a mild affect, but could be used in the future for harmful or manipulative applications.
2) Add more to your project. Put the new stuff in a new blog posting. Consider new material that has some connection to Toxoplasma Gondii. Alternatively, it could have a connection to some other parasite or disease, or parasites or diseases more generally. Or it might be about something completely different...your choice!
I think we could use Toxoplasma Gondii in the future as an application that will help manipulate human behavior. We can upload an altered form of this disease in order to help control people's behavior. For example, the American government could have a new breed of soldiers. These soldiers could use different physical machines integrated into their bodies to help make them more atheltic, agile, and robust. If we can convince humans to allow this amount of body modification, perhaps the government could convince them to alter their minds during war time. They could download this disease. Perhaps it could make them react quicker, act tougher, control their actions during fighting, etc. I believe that future soldiers will have body modifications, and I do not think they could complain if scientists found a way for them to act more efficiently and safely when engaging the enemy. So I do believe their is an opportunity for Toxoplasma Gondii or another mind altering disease to play some affect on trans-humanism.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Homework Assignment 12
Our teacher posed this question:
Suppose you had a coupon for a free robot. The catch is it can only do one thing. But you can get a robot that will do whatever one thing you like, just not anything else. What would you want your robot to do?
I think that if I were able to obtain a robot I would want it to do a task I find difficult. However the question posed has some ambiguity. Could it perform one large task that is a composite of smaller tasks? For example, I hate cleaning my house. Could this robot only vacuum my house or could it clean dust as well? If this robot could perform a large task composed of smaller functions then I would want this robot to clean every surface of my house. I would like to to clean tiles in the shower, vacuum rugs and floors, dust surfaces, clean spills, organize the room, and last but certainly not least clean dishes. If my robot could only perform one lower level function, then I would want my robot to iron my clothes. Washing clothes is already basically automated. All you do if set the temperature, put detergent in, and then load the clothes. I am very bad at ironing. I do not believe this requires much skill but I can never seem to iron clothes to my liking. It would be nice if a robot could automatically iron my clothes so that they do not have an creases.
He also posed this question.
2) Write or develop an additional significant piece of your project. As a suggestion, consider the connection of robots to your topic. However, if another subject besides robots seems more appropriate, that is just as good. Post the new section on your blog.
Possible Applications of Trans-Humanism
Trans-humanism will surely evolve to deal with automated machines. Automated machines that provide a service could be a generic definition of a robot. I believe we could one day integrate robots into our body. Perhaps we could take a robot and attach it to our arm. This robot could act like a PDA on our arm. We could make calls, send and transmit pertinent data, as well as view data. This robot could the detach from our arm and go scout out an area. For example, a hunter who is deep in the woods could use this device to communicate with the outside world, and then have this robot go scout out a field for turkeys. Once the robot detected a turkey it could return to its user and give details on where the turkey is. This robot could do many other functions. Such as help regulate body temperature and breathing through a interface that is connect to our body. Perhaps it could interface with a usb port that is implanted into the arm or even brain. This could help when the weather is cold and make sure that our aim would be steady. Snipers practice breathing techniques to make sure that their accuracy is not affected with each breath they take. There are endless ways a robot could interface with our body and provide services that would make our lives easier and more efficient. This is just one possible way. We could also use robots to perform health checks to our body. Instead of having to go to the doctor for a check up, maybe a robot that is integrated into our bodies can consistently check for cancer, viruses, and other ailments. Like I said previously there are many if not infinite ways a robot could aid our lives. So our dicussion and analysis of robots does give pertinent incite into the direction and application of trans-humanism. Also known as the metamorhpsis to homo evolutis. The new species of man that is part biological part machine.
Suppose you had a coupon for a free robot. The catch is it can only do one thing. But you can get a robot that will do whatever one thing you like, just not anything else. What would you want your robot to do?
I think that if I were able to obtain a robot I would want it to do a task I find difficult. However the question posed has some ambiguity. Could it perform one large task that is a composite of smaller tasks? For example, I hate cleaning my house. Could this robot only vacuum my house or could it clean dust as well? If this robot could perform a large task composed of smaller functions then I would want this robot to clean every surface of my house. I would like to to clean tiles in the shower, vacuum rugs and floors, dust surfaces, clean spills, organize the room, and last but certainly not least clean dishes. If my robot could only perform one lower level function, then I would want my robot to iron my clothes. Washing clothes is already basically automated. All you do if set the temperature, put detergent in, and then load the clothes. I am very bad at ironing. I do not believe this requires much skill but I can never seem to iron clothes to my liking. It would be nice if a robot could automatically iron my clothes so that they do not have an creases.
He also posed this question.
2) Write or develop an additional significant piece of your project. As a suggestion, consider the connection of robots to your topic. However, if another subject besides robots seems more appropriate, that is just as good. Post the new section on your blog.
Possible Applications of Trans-Humanism
Trans-humanism will surely evolve to deal with automated machines. Automated machines that provide a service could be a generic definition of a robot. I believe we could one day integrate robots into our body. Perhaps we could take a robot and attach it to our arm. This robot could act like a PDA on our arm. We could make calls, send and transmit pertinent data, as well as view data. This robot could the detach from our arm and go scout out an area. For example, a hunter who is deep in the woods could use this device to communicate with the outside world, and then have this robot go scout out a field for turkeys. Once the robot detected a turkey it could return to its user and give details on where the turkey is. This robot could do many other functions. Such as help regulate body temperature and breathing through a interface that is connect to our body. Perhaps it could interface with a usb port that is implanted into the arm or even brain. This could help when the weather is cold and make sure that our aim would be steady. Snipers practice breathing techniques to make sure that their accuracy is not affected with each breath they take. There are endless ways a robot could interface with our body and provide services that would make our lives easier and more efficient. This is just one possible way. We could also use robots to perform health checks to our body. Instead of having to go to the doctor for a check up, maybe a robot that is integrated into our bodies can consistently check for cancer, viruses, and other ailments. Like I said previously there are many if not infinite ways a robot could aid our lives. So our dicussion and analysis of robots does give pertinent incite into the direction and application of trans-humanism. Also known as the metamorhpsis to homo evolutis. The new species of man that is part biological part machine.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Homework Assignment 11
I believe that the discussion from Monday the 26th is partly applicable and inapplicable. We can make certain predictions about the future of homo evolutis. I can assume that we will modify our bodies to hear and see better because we already have technology that tries to help impaired people. We can only assume that this technology will evolve to help unimpaired people hear and see even better. I believe this prediction can be made which is similar to predicting what the climate might be over a long period of time for a region that doesn’t experience too much variability. But some predictions cannot be made. For example, to what extent will we “mechanize” our self? I believe this prediction is as good as a weather prediction. We can get a ballpark figure or reasonable estimate but there is too much variability. With weather variability comes from geographical location, temperature, air pressure, etc. With trans-humanism we will see variability with people’s future view of ethics, laws, and technology. These examples of variability are non-linear and force our prediction to be inexact. The water wheel is a good example of this dilemma. We cannot determine the path of the wheel due to the non-linearity of its variables. So our discussion was applicable to predictions of trans-humanism. I believe the idea of modify the system with a bug approach is not applicable. We might be able to control certain aspects but I believe with trans-humanism this method is causing something indefinite to stay indefinite. After all, if we multiply infinity by any number what does that tell us? Of course nothing… The only way to truly be able to predict the extent of trans-humanism with a foreign object injected into the equation would change the system beyond recognition. We could claim homo evolutis will falter if grey-goo takes its course. However something this severe doesn’t help make predictions only destroy the system. For example, we could obliterate the planet completely and then we could be certain that weather would no longer exist. So I don’t believe that adding something in the system to alter it will give any good results unless we completely obliterate the system. Thus there were certain aspects of our class discussion that was applicable and inapplicable.
Answer 2
I believe the discussion from October the 28th was very applicable to my project. After all, trans-humanism is the integration of humans and machines. Robots would definitely be a possible machine to integrate into humans. We could take nanobots and have them destroy deadly viruses that could harm our bodies. I define robots as anything that has some degree of automation. I also believe that something could be part automated and part non-automated. For example, a car can park automatically for you, but at the same time you steer the car towards your destination. Why couldn’t we have a robot that detached from your arm and clean the floor. Once it is done I cleaning, it could reassemble itself back into your arm. This discussion shows the possibilities of robots and their purposes. This was very applicable because it can show us future implications of trans-humanism.
1) Introduction to trans-humanism
What tran-humanism is...
Trans-humanism is the integration of human and machine. With this integration man is more capable then without it. Trans-humanism could be implanting hearing aids that make us hear as good as dogs or eye contacts that make us see better then an eagle. Trans-humanism has occurred and probably will not cease to occur until we have all deceased. Wikipedia describes trans-humanism as , "Transhumanism is an international intellecutal and culturual movement supporting the use of science and technology to improve human mental and physical characteristics and capacities.:
Earliest scientists who brought attention to phenomena...
There have been many proponents of trans-humanism. My favorite scientist would be Enriquez. He has gone as far as calling trans-humanism the new species of man called homo evolutis. He stated, "We will likely see glimpses of this long-lived, partly mechanical, partly regrown creature that continues to rapidly drive its own evolution. As the branches of the tree of life, and of hominids, continue to grow and spread, many of our grandchildren will likely engineer themselves into what we would consider a new species, one with extraordinary capabilities, a homo evolutis."A species that is heavily integrated with machine. We can look at many science fiction writers and argue they were the first people to bring trans-humanism to our attention. However, we need credible scientists to research and show what is tangible. Also we must look at the earliest contributors to trans-humanism. Charles Darwin played a pivtol role in the theory of evolution. He showed that human characterstics were not permanent by changing. This gave some people the idea of being able to modify the body. Even the Epic of Gilgamesh talks about humans finding ways to lead to immoratility. Even though we do not know the extent to which trans-humanism will be able to further life, we can assume it will provide some more longevity.
2) What is on the frontier?
Possible applications for trans-humanism...
The possible applications of trans-humanism are endless. We can only imagine what the future holds for us. It is almost certain that man will be able to see and hear better. Research is currently being done to put nanobots into the human bodies to prevent and correct illnesses. Not only will man's physical attributes change, but also his mental aptitude. What if we had a recording device that recorded everything we have ever heard or seen. What if we could retrieve this information from a mini-hard drive stored and interfaced with the brain. One's mother probably wouldn't scold them for forgetting to do his or her chores.
How long it will take for progress to be made...
Progress is already being made on trans-humanism. We can look at many bio-engineering projects and see that they fit right into the category of trans-humanism. Even if we look at today's technology we can argue trans-humanism has occurred. After all, we do have pacemakers that regulate heart beat, and prosthetics that are mechanical.
3) Possible Issues and Implications
Ethics of trans-humanism...
Like stem cells there will certainly be issues with the ethics of trans-humanism. The main issue I see is conservative people's values of norms. They do not want their culture to drastically change with technology. Would an elderly person accept a woman with a retractable arm and purple skin? I believe that in the future there will be debates on how long people will be allowed to live with integrated mechanical body parts (assuming that these parts will promote human life span.) We cannot let everyone live forever, because of many issues that would arise. I believe it is in our nature to see both life and death. It is and should be inevitable. Besides, how many people could the earth or any system sustain, especially when you are adding people at an exponential rate.
Health concerns of trans-humanism...
There could be main issues with trans-humanism. People are already concerned with radiation from cell phones. How do we know that a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) integrated into your brain will not give you cancer over long periods of time. Also what if someone as strong and vicious at the terminator started killing people at will. Also what if people start to change the entire appearance of their body. Some people have issues with cosmetic surgery. For example, Jane Doe might have had so many rhinoplasties that her nose was no longer functional. People would want to modify their body to such an extreme is might end up killing them or lessening life rather then promoting it.
4)Probability
What will happen and what won't...
Ethics and laws will have to prevent certain things from occurring. I doubt people will be able to launch rockets from their arms or obliterate people with genocide. But as someone in class said, if there is a law someone will try and break it. I don’t believe we will be able to live forever through trans-humanism. We could run out of resources and there is probably an infinite amount of ways to die. Could we bring a person back to life if there was nothing left but dead cells and DNA? What if you body was crushed to pieces, could we bring your brain back to being? Some of these issues are philosophical, but with time we might see the end results.
Potential Roadblocks...
Roadblocks will come from law, ethics, political agenda, and religion. What if law prohibits the study of trans-humanism like stem cell research. We have possible ways of saving lives and it is being ignored because of religious and political views. Some people may also argue that the world could become unstable if enough people became powerful through cybernetics. What if we made a nanobot that we thought would promote life, but turned our changing and becoming the new "bubonic plaugue".
5) Conclusion
Trans-humanism has occurred and will occur. That is an essential point we cannot overlook. Obviously, in the future we will see more of a metamorphosis of our species into a new species that will eventually blend into a half human half machine entities. We will then start to raise questions about the ambiguity that will comes from this technological integration.
6)References
1)http://72.3.218.115/talks/juan_enriquez_shares_mindboggling_new_science.html
2)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanism
3)http://reason.com/archives/2004/08/25/transhumanism-the-most-dangero
4)http://www.longevitymeme.org/topics/transhumanism.cfm
6)http://www.culturge.com/2009/02/homo-evolutis-future-of-humanity.html
7)http://www.highexistence.com/bye-bye-homo-sapien-hello-homo-evolutis/
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Homework Assignment Ten
This week our teacher wanted us to elaborate on the paradox of any scientific proof and to write 250 words about our semester topic......
Q1) We discussed in class how there is no such thing as a "scientific proof." Explain in your own words.
A scientific proof is implied to prove a scientific theory. However, if one looks more closely to the subject we can logical state that no scientific theory can be proved. We can first start with the inductive versus deductive reasoning. With deductive reasoning we can prove logic statements or mathematical formulas. Three multiplied by three will always give you the product nine. I the law of deduction is when the truth of a conclusion is shown to follow a logical consequence of the premises and its corresponding conditional premises are a necessary truth. Inductive reasoning can be seen as the premises or statements of an inductive logical argument convey a degree of support for the conclusion but do not entail it. As we can see from here science does not take on the deductive process of math. It is a form of inductive reasoning. Like our professor said, if we observe an apple that is thrown in the air will it always fall? One might say yes, but our prefessor brought up the fact that if we through the apple fast enough the apple could potentially escape earth’s gravity. Thus, this observation is not a complete truth. However, we can say that three times three is still nine. That is why scientific observations cannot be transalted to actual truths.. They show tendencies not certainities.
Q2) Write a new part for your project of 250 words or more.
3) Possible Issues and ImplicationsEthics of trans-humanismLike stem cells there will certainly be issues with the ethics of trans-humanism. The main issue I see is conservative people's values of norms. They do not want their culture to drastically change with technology. Would an elderly person accept a woman with a retractable arm and purple skin? I believe that in the future there will be debates on how long people will be allowed to live with integrated mechanical body parts (assuming that these parts will promote human life span.) We cannot let everyone live forever, because of many issues that would arise. I believe it is in our nature to see both life and death. It is and should be inevitable. Besides, how many people could the earth or any system sustain, especially when you are adding people at an exponential rate.
What is ethics? Ethics can be seen simply seen as what actions we judge to be right and wrong. This is a very subjective phenomenon. When we add trans-humanism to the mix, we complete this subjective phenomenon further. It seems that as time passes by, people’s ideas and beliefs change. These ideas and beliefs effect their ethical viewpoints. For example, some people think that it is ethically wrong to allow interracial marriages. Other people believe that it is unethical to not allow different races to marry. After all, how can we say two people are not allowed certain rights because they do not fit the proper or common situation? If we were a white southern whose parents were racist, would we have an open mind to interracial marriage? It is very hard to say, but we can assume that all ethical viewpoints come from experience and perception. This same logic can be applied to trans-humanism. Would some people think that it is unethical for people to have odd colored skin or retractable arms? Another big issue could arise if we could live forever through trans-humanism. Can we deny someone the ability to live forever? What if our population became to high to sustain. What if we took out our brain and somehow uploaded it to a cyborg. Would we be human or machine? How would a devout Christian or Muslim handle that? These are questions that will certainly arise. As we have seen the in past and the present, people will always differ in their viewpoints of ethics. People have formed prejudices and subjective feelings through their experience and perception. I believe that the further we progress into the future, people as a whole have become more tolerable towards difference. So in summary I believe that a person from 2009 will be less accepting of someone with robotic arms then someone from 2100.
Q1) We discussed in class how there is no such thing as a "scientific proof." Explain in your own words.
A scientific proof is implied to prove a scientific theory. However, if one looks more closely to the subject we can logical state that no scientific theory can be proved. We can first start with the inductive versus deductive reasoning. With deductive reasoning we can prove logic statements or mathematical formulas. Three multiplied by three will always give you the product nine. I the law of deduction is when the truth of a conclusion is shown to follow a logical consequence of the premises and its corresponding conditional premises are a necessary truth. Inductive reasoning can be seen as the premises or statements of an inductive logical argument convey a degree of support for the conclusion but do not entail it. As we can see from here science does not take on the deductive process of math. It is a form of inductive reasoning. Like our professor said, if we observe an apple that is thrown in the air will it always fall? One might say yes, but our prefessor brought up the fact that if we through the apple fast enough the apple could potentially escape earth’s gravity. Thus, this observation is not a complete truth. However, we can say that three times three is still nine. That is why scientific observations cannot be transalted to actual truths.. They show tendencies not certainities.
Q2) Write a new part for your project of 250 words or more.
3) Possible Issues and ImplicationsEthics of trans-humanismLike stem cells there will certainly be issues with the ethics of trans-humanism. The main issue I see is conservative people's values of norms. They do not want their culture to drastically change with technology. Would an elderly person accept a woman with a retractable arm and purple skin? I believe that in the future there will be debates on how long people will be allowed to live with integrated mechanical body parts (assuming that these parts will promote human life span.) We cannot let everyone live forever, because of many issues that would arise. I believe it is in our nature to see both life and death. It is and should be inevitable. Besides, how many people could the earth or any system sustain, especially when you are adding people at an exponential rate.
What is ethics? Ethics can be seen simply seen as what actions we judge to be right and wrong. This is a very subjective phenomenon. When we add trans-humanism to the mix, we complete this subjective phenomenon further. It seems that as time passes by, people’s ideas and beliefs change. These ideas and beliefs effect their ethical viewpoints. For example, some people think that it is ethically wrong to allow interracial marriages. Other people believe that it is unethical to not allow different races to marry. After all, how can we say two people are not allowed certain rights because they do not fit the proper or common situation? If we were a white southern whose parents were racist, would we have an open mind to interracial marriage? It is very hard to say, but we can assume that all ethical viewpoints come from experience and perception. This same logic can be applied to trans-humanism. Would some people think that it is unethical for people to have odd colored skin or retractable arms? Another big issue could arise if we could live forever through trans-humanism. Can we deny someone the ability to live forever? What if our population became to high to sustain. What if we took out our brain and somehow uploaded it to a cyborg. Would we be human or machine? How would a devout Christian or Muslim handle that? These are questions that will certainly arise. As we have seen the in past and the present, people will always differ in their viewpoints of ethics. People have formed prejudices and subjective feelings through their experience and perception. I believe that the further we progress into the future, people as a whole have become more tolerable towards difference. So in summary I believe that a person from 2009 will be less accepting of someone with robotic arms then someone from 2100.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Homework Assignment Nine
REPORT OVERVIEW
1) Introduction to trans-humanism
What trans-humanism is?
Trans-humanism is the integration of human and machine. With this integration man is more capable then without it. Trans-humanism could be implanting hearing aids that make us hear as good as dogs or eye contacts that make us see better then an eagle. Trans-humanism has occurred and probably will not cease to occur until we have all deceased.
Earliest scientists who brought attention to phenomena
There have been many proponents of trans-humanism. My favorite scientist would be Enriquez. He has gone as far as calling trans-humanism the new species of man called homo evolutis. A species that is heavily integrated with machine. We can look at many science fiction writers and argue they were the first people to bring trans-humanism to our attention. However, we need credible scientists to research and show what is tangible.
2) What is on the frontier
Possible applications for trans-humanism
The possible applications of trans-humanism are endless. We can only imagine what the future holds for us. It is almost certain that man will be able to see and hear better. Research is currently being done to put nanobots into the human bodies to prevent and correct illnesses. Not only will man's physical attributes change, but also his mental aptitude. What if we had a recording device that recorded everything we have ever heard or seen. What if we could retrieve this information from a mini-hard drive stored and interfaced with the brain. One's mother probably wouldn't scold them for forgetting to do his or her chores.
How long it will take for progress to be made
Progress is already being made on trans-humanism. We can look at many bio-engineering projects and see that they fit right into the category of trans-humanism. Even if we look at today's technology we can argue trans-humanism has occurred. After all, we do have pacemakers that regulate heart beat, and prosthetics that are mechanical.
3) Possible Issues and Implications
Ethics of trans-humanism
Like stem cells there will certainly be issues with the ethics of trans-humanism. The main issue I see is conservative people's values of norms. They do not want their culture to drastically change with technology. Would an elderly person accept a woman with a retractable arm and purple skin? I believe that in the future there will be debates on how long people will be allowed to live with integrated mechanical body parts (assuming that these parts will promote human life span.) We cannot let everyone live forever, because of many issues that would arise. I believe it is in our nature to see both life and death. It is and should be inevitable. Besides, how many people could the earth or any system sustain, especially when you are adding people at an exponential rate.
Health concerns of trans-humanism
There could be main issues with trans-humanism. People are already concerned with radiation from cell phones. How do we know that a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) integrated into your brain will not give you cancer over long periods of time. Also what if someone as strong and vicious at the terminator started killing people at will. Also what if people start to change the entire appearance of their body. Some people have issues with cosmetic surgery. For example, Jane Doe might have had so many rhinoplasties that her nose was no longer functional. People would want to modify their body to such an extreme is might end up killing them or lessening life rather then promoting it.
4)Probability
What will happen and what won't.
Ethics and laws will have to prevent certain things from occurring. I doubt people will be able to launch rockets from their arms or obliterate people with genocide. But as someone in class said, if there is a law someone will try and break it. I don’t believe we will be able to live forever through trans-humanism. We could run out of resources and there is probably an infinite amount of ways to die. Could we bring a person back to life if there was nothing left but dead cells and DNA? What if you body was crushed to pieces, could we bring your brain back to being? Some of these issues are philosophical, but with time we might see the end results.
Potential Roadblocks
Roadblocks will come from law, ethics, political agenda, and religion. What if law prohibits the study of trans-humanism like stem cell research. We have possible ways of saving lives and it is being ignored because of religious and political views. Some people may also argue that the world could become unstable if enough people became powerful through cybernetics. What if we made a nanobot that we thought would promote life, but turned our changing and becoming the new "bubonic plaugue".
5) Conclusion
Trans-humanism has occurred and will occur. That is an essential point we cannot overlook. Obviously, in the future we will see more of a metamorphosis of our species into a new species that will eventually blend into a half human half machine entities. We will then start to raise questions about the ambiguity that will comes from this technological integration.
6)References
REASONS FOR KEY POINTS
1) Introduction to trans-humanism
In order to explain a theory like Trans-humanism, we must give information about the founding credible fathers and a basis for the theory itself.
2) What is on the frontier?
It is important to show that trans-humanism is occurring and will also advance throughout human history. This key point was made to help us imagine where it will go and what might come up sooner then we think.
3) Possible Issues and Implications
If we see this theory as tangible, then we must talk about the effect it will have. There will be a strong affect on society and we need to address people's perception of trans-humanism. Nothing will occur if the masses or influential people do not agree with it. Also, with any modifications to the human body we must be concerned with health issues.
4)Probability
If we believe this theory is tangible we must look at the probability of it occurring. It is hard to assume something has occurred or will occur is the probability is close to zero. This section will also show that limitations that arise from our technology and human interest.
5) Conclusion
The conclusion gives key points from the report and where trans-humanism will eventually go.
1) Introduction to trans-humanism
What trans-humanism is?
Trans-humanism is the integration of human and machine. With this integration man is more capable then without it. Trans-humanism could be implanting hearing aids that make us hear as good as dogs or eye contacts that make us see better then an eagle. Trans-humanism has occurred and probably will not cease to occur until we have all deceased.
Earliest scientists who brought attention to phenomena
There have been many proponents of trans-humanism. My favorite scientist would be Enriquez. He has gone as far as calling trans-humanism the new species of man called homo evolutis. A species that is heavily integrated with machine. We can look at many science fiction writers and argue they were the first people to bring trans-humanism to our attention. However, we need credible scientists to research and show what is tangible.
2) What is on the frontier
Possible applications for trans-humanism
The possible applications of trans-humanism are endless. We can only imagine what the future holds for us. It is almost certain that man will be able to see and hear better. Research is currently being done to put nanobots into the human bodies to prevent and correct illnesses. Not only will man's physical attributes change, but also his mental aptitude. What if we had a recording device that recorded everything we have ever heard or seen. What if we could retrieve this information from a mini-hard drive stored and interfaced with the brain. One's mother probably wouldn't scold them for forgetting to do his or her chores.
How long it will take for progress to be made
Progress is already being made on trans-humanism. We can look at many bio-engineering projects and see that they fit right into the category of trans-humanism. Even if we look at today's technology we can argue trans-humanism has occurred. After all, we do have pacemakers that regulate heart beat, and prosthetics that are mechanical.
3) Possible Issues and Implications
Ethics of trans-humanism
Like stem cells there will certainly be issues with the ethics of trans-humanism. The main issue I see is conservative people's values of norms. They do not want their culture to drastically change with technology. Would an elderly person accept a woman with a retractable arm and purple skin? I believe that in the future there will be debates on how long people will be allowed to live with integrated mechanical body parts (assuming that these parts will promote human life span.) We cannot let everyone live forever, because of many issues that would arise. I believe it is in our nature to see both life and death. It is and should be inevitable. Besides, how many people could the earth or any system sustain, especially when you are adding people at an exponential rate.
Health concerns of trans-humanism
There could be main issues with trans-humanism. People are already concerned with radiation from cell phones. How do we know that a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) integrated into your brain will not give you cancer over long periods of time. Also what if someone as strong and vicious at the terminator started killing people at will. Also what if people start to change the entire appearance of their body. Some people have issues with cosmetic surgery. For example, Jane Doe might have had so many rhinoplasties that her nose was no longer functional. People would want to modify their body to such an extreme is might end up killing them or lessening life rather then promoting it.
4)Probability
What will happen and what won't.
Ethics and laws will have to prevent certain things from occurring. I doubt people will be able to launch rockets from their arms or obliterate people with genocide. But as someone in class said, if there is a law someone will try and break it. I don’t believe we will be able to live forever through trans-humanism. We could run out of resources and there is probably an infinite amount of ways to die. Could we bring a person back to life if there was nothing left but dead cells and DNA? What if you body was crushed to pieces, could we bring your brain back to being? Some of these issues are philosophical, but with time we might see the end results.
Potential Roadblocks
Roadblocks will come from law, ethics, political agenda, and religion. What if law prohibits the study of trans-humanism like stem cell research. We have possible ways of saving lives and it is being ignored because of religious and political views. Some people may also argue that the world could become unstable if enough people became powerful through cybernetics. What if we made a nanobot that we thought would promote life, but turned our changing and becoming the new "bubonic plaugue".
5) Conclusion
Trans-humanism has occurred and will occur. That is an essential point we cannot overlook. Obviously, in the future we will see more of a metamorphosis of our species into a new species that will eventually blend into a half human half machine entities. We will then start to raise questions about the ambiguity that will comes from this technological integration.
6)References
REASONS FOR KEY POINTS
1) Introduction to trans-humanism
In order to explain a theory like Trans-humanism, we must give information about the founding credible fathers and a basis for the theory itself.
2) What is on the frontier?
It is important to show that trans-humanism is occurring and will also advance throughout human history. This key point was made to help us imagine where it will go and what might come up sooner then we think.
3) Possible Issues and Implications
If we see this theory as tangible, then we must talk about the effect it will have. There will be a strong affect on society and we need to address people's perception of trans-humanism. Nothing will occur if the masses or influential people do not agree with it. Also, with any modifications to the human body we must be concerned with health issues.
4)Probability
If we believe this theory is tangible we must look at the probability of it occurring. It is hard to assume something has occurred or will occur is the probability is close to zero. This section will also show that limitations that arise from our technology and human interest.
5) Conclusion
The conclusion gives key points from the report and where trans-humanism will eventually go.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Homework Eight
Minority Report is a science fiction movie that takes place in the future. The movie is essentially a look into a world where homicide is prevented. In this society, police use Pre-crime to arrest individuals who are predicted to perform a murder. Murders are predicted by 3 Pre-coginitive humans. One of the underlying themes of this story is the paradox of fate versus pre-determinism. In this story we see a man (John Anderton) stuck in the middle of his fate, and his struggle to change it. We cannot tell why he is about to commit murder, but that doesn't matter. In this world you will be held liable for your actions. As we see with the progression of the film, he is in fact innocent and part of an elaborate scheme to hide the inconsistencies of Pre-Crime.
We watched this movie to get incite about the future. The future is a place where we cannot know, only predict. A lot of new technology is shown in this movie. How feasible it is, is very debatable. I was extremely interested in the virtual reality rooms in the movie. In one scene, a man pays to "virtually" kill his boss. We also see a large emphasis on retinal scans. It was interesting to see advertisements that were directed to customers using the retinal scan technology. I like the automated cars, but some of the safely features did not seem realistic. For example, how easily Anderton exited the car in a chase scene. The weapons and transportation the Pre-crime police used was very interesting. The eye transplant "healing" scene was exciting. We see what kind of screening processes the future may hold. However, I believe in the future law enforcement will be able to see through walls, because this technology is already in development. The movie did have more weak points, like every other science fiction movies. For example, Anderton's knack for escaping was impeccable. We see even now, that it is very hard for anyone to be discrete. One could only assume that the advancement in technology would make it impossible for someone to hide in the future.
All in all, this is an interesting movie that combines philosophical implications of the future with high tech gadgetry.
I will see Dr. Berleant this week about the presentation of semester topic.
We watched this movie to get incite about the future. The future is a place where we cannot know, only predict. A lot of new technology is shown in this movie. How feasible it is, is very debatable. I was extremely interested in the virtual reality rooms in the movie. In one scene, a man pays to "virtually" kill his boss. We also see a large emphasis on retinal scans. It was interesting to see advertisements that were directed to customers using the retinal scan technology. I like the automated cars, but some of the safely features did not seem realistic. For example, how easily Anderton exited the car in a chase scene. The weapons and transportation the Pre-crime police used was very interesting. The eye transplant "healing" scene was exciting. We see what kind of screening processes the future may hold. However, I believe in the future law enforcement will be able to see through walls, because this technology is already in development. The movie did have more weak points, like every other science fiction movies. For example, Anderton's knack for escaping was impeccable. We see even now, that it is very hard for anyone to be discrete. One could only assume that the advancement in technology would make it impossible for someone to hide in the future.
All in all, this is an interesting movie that combines philosophical implications of the future with high tech gadgetry.
I will see Dr. Berleant this week about the presentation of semester topic.
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