PHIS216 Response Paper #3 Spring 2014 word count (700-900): 814
last name: THEISEN frst name: Tarra secton: !! "rade: #10
ma$or(s): Hstor%& Internatonal Studes& 'lo(al Healt) I am ta*n" t)s course towards () I+S re,urement
T)s wee* n class& I a--recated our dscussons of a--led tec)nolo"% and )ow t)ese new n.entons
can (ot) (eneft (and )a.e t)e -otental to )arm) our socet% and our future/
In (rd"n" t)e "a-& mentall% s-ea*n"& (etween t)e )ard scences and t)e socal scences#)umantes& I
found t nterestn" t)at t)ere s a t%-e of 0mac)ne lan"ua"e1 (eneat) all com-utn"/ T)ou") I don2t *now
muc) a(out com-uter -ro"rammn"& t )el-s to t)n* of codn" as sm-l% usn" dfferent 0lan"ua"es1 to
communcate/ I2m sur-rsed t)at I )a.en2t )eard of t referenced t)s wa% (efore& es-ecall% n terms of
dscussn" nterdsc-lnart% and )ow students from .arous (ac*"rounds and de-artments can come to"et)er to
dscuss deas and concerns/ In m% 3orced 4"ratons class& we )a.e contnuall% referred (ac* to t)e ssue of
lan"ua"e n -ro.dn" for& or m-edn"& communcaton (etween dfferent "rou-s/ !s I2m sure s true for
-ro"rammn"& (ecomn" famlar wt) a ".en lan"ua"e onl% )el-s one "an access to more communtes and
deas/ In an ncreasn"l% "lo(al5ed world& I (ele.e t)s s e6tremel% m-ortant/ 7ommuncaton s *e%& n m%
o-non& to -ro"ress and )ow we wll s)a-e our future ((e t t)rou") laws& com-uter a--lcatons& e.en
nter-ersonal connectons and socal meda)/ 8er)a-s t)s t%-e of framewor* s )el-ful n t)n*n" a(out t)e
9asc 8ro(lem : as t)s course )as contnued& I trul% t)n* t)at t)e (est solutons to t)e 9asc 8ro(lem wll
come from an nterdsc-lnar% a--roac) to tec)nolo"%& -ro"ress& and notons of modernt%/
8rofessor 7)alou-*a2s su""eston t)at t)ere s almost a funnel effect& from raw data nformaton
*nowled"e wsdom s nterestn"& (ecause t ta*es a somew)at stra")tforward scentfc conce-t and a--les
a t%-e of cultural test to t/ ;)at s consdered nformaton s not necessarl% consdered *nowled"e& nor
wsdom/ I l*e t)s (ecause t s& a"an& an e6am-le of )ow somet)n" 0scentfc1 (/e/ raw data) can (e and s
transformed nto nformaton t)at -eo-le can use n t)er da%-to-da% l.es/ To o.erloo* t)e m-act of culture
and socet% on determnn" how nformaton s used s foll%/ ;)at I also a--recate s t)at )ow t)s effect ta*es
-lace .ares from culture to culture/ ;)at would (e consdered useful and *nowled"e n t)e <nted States ma%
(e ta*en to mean somet)n" com-letel% dfferent n =m(a(we/ I a"an feel t)at t)s demonstrates t)e ntrnsc
relatons)- (etween w)at we often classf% as 0facts1 and 0scence1 wt) studes of socetes& cultures& and
dfferent -eo-les/ 3or e6am-le& we )a.e recentl% dscussed n m% !lternat.e 4oderntes class t)e role of t)e
.acuum cleaner n dfferent conte6ts/ In t)e md-1900s& t)e .acuum cleaner n !merca s%m(ol5ed man%
t)n"s: ratonal5aton of -roducton& ncreased effcenc%& new conce-ts of wor* and of women2s r")ts/ 9ut n
9ra5l& t)e .acuum cleaner was often ens)rned sm-l% as a totem of modernt% and -ro"ress/ T)ose n 9ra5l
w)o could afford and (u% a .acuum cleaner dd not use t to clean> rat)er& t would (e ds-la%ed as an ornament
or f6ture of t)e )ouse as a s%m(ol of t)at faml%2s 0-ro"ress.e1 and 0modern1 atttude/ In t)s conte6t& t s
nterestn" to note )ow dfferent -eo-le utl5e new tec)nolo"es: one s not more .ald t)an t)e ot)er& (ut
sm-l% dfferent/
In tal*n" a(out new tec)nolo"es comn" n t)e future& we also dscussed artfcal ntell"ence/ !s
wt) nuclear fuson& artfcal ntell"ence s nearn" a (rea*t)rou") n t)e near future (accordn" to 8rofessor
7)alou-*a)/ T)s s one -ro(lem w)ere I feel t)e scentfc (enefts )a.e almost (een mmedatel% met (% moral
and et)cal ,ualms/ T)e fact t)at we are ar"ua(l% so near to creatn" a new form of ntell"ence s (reat)ta*n"
and n tself a tremendous feat of tec)nolo"% and scence/ 9ut t)ere are also serous consderatons for t)e
draw(ac*s of creatn" ntell"ence t)at could e.ol.e to sur-ass our own ca-actes as )umans/ ;)ere does one
draw t)e lne? !s we )a.e reterated a"an and a"an n t)s course& we s)ould -us) to e6-lore t)s ,ueston
(efore t s too late/ 3or e6am-le& our dscusson of ro(otcs and ts -ractcal a--lcatons (n factores& -lanetar%
e6-loraton& t)e mltar%) )a.e demonstrated )ow ro(otcs can (e used to (eneft socet%/ 9ut we also dscussed
t)e dream#n")tmare fantas%: et)er we wll e.entuall% (ecome one wt) ro(ots& or t)e% wll ta*e o.er/ T)s
fantas% s often t)e su($ect of flms and lterature& l*e futurstc ad.enture flms or an% of @ules Aerne2s no.els/
I (ele.e t)at we s)ould ta*e t)s fascnaton wt) t)e un*nown as an o--ortunt% to cautousl% e6-lore t)e
(oundares of w)at our tec)nolo"% can create and )andle/ !s alwa%s& we s)ould (e careful to let our
tec)nolo"cal )u(rs lead t)e wa% n creatn" t)e future& for t s not certan t)at t would create a sustana(le or
desra(le world/
