Critical Thinking post #5

It is one day after the midterm, and I chose to write about Darwinism always opposing humanistic values like altruism and generosity. I realize now I did not make the right decision. What I should have wrote about was about robots and Artificial Intelligence. And I do agree that these robots, including Rachel Eldon, was an intelligent being. It was extremely difficult to determine whether or not she was human. She did a great job in fooling the people that believe she was not. She showed all types of human signs, and she was the closest robot to show human emotion, It would be extremely difficult staring at her to really believe she wasn't human. She had real 'consciousness' like a human which made it even more believable. In "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep"?, written by Philip Dick, it took over one hundred questions to determine whether or not she was a human, and it usually only took between 20 and 30 questions for the others. I agree they were intelligent and I do agree one day, robots will be more than a human computer. We should use them to the best of our technology. They can take us places we have never been before.

Critical Thinking Blog Post #4

A robot can be an incredible tool. It can almost do anything you need it to. And, it is miraculous of how far robotics has come. Sometimes, we have to wonder if robotics will take over the world. It could be appealing to us, but of course, it could also be terrifying to us as well. In the video clip of the "A.I. trailer", it is hard to believe how real they made a little boy seem so real, when he was indeed a robot. He shows human emotions, and anyone who knew that he was not human, probably would never be able to tell the difference. He wanted to be loved like any little boy would. He had all the features that children have. It was hard to see that he was a robot. This was definitely appealing. But, when I was looking at the video clip from the "Terminator trailer", that was not so appealing. That was pretty horrifying. This was a robot who was indestructable. He was on a mission, and no human or anything else would stand in its way. They tried to shoot him, and that had no effect at all. That is the type of machinery that could kill millions of people and it might take years before anyone could figure out a way to find out what the weakness of this robot is. When you can't control it, it will most likely be able to control you, and then we would be at their mercy. So, the way robots can look like real people is fascinating, but at the same time, when trying to take it apart or destroy it, and have no success, it incredibly scary.
I think robots have become acceptable to people because at this point in time, robots are available to help us with whatever we need. I believe a lot of people do not fear robot technology, and robots have become a lot more humanized over the years. When looking at the clip of "ELECTRO", the person who was in control of this robot had to talk into a telephone to give it commands. It moved at a very slow speed. That has been upgraded a lot since then. We might accept robots in our vision of the future because they would be able to do all the work that requires the work of many people. They may be able to fix a flat tire and even cook our meals. This is something to look forward to in the future but as seen in the terminator, something to be cautious of as well.

Critical Thinking Blog- Assignment #3

The first topic that I am thinking about writing for my research paper is "Science and technology: Promise and Peril" (Research paper idea #2)"The Promise of nuclear energy (which was once thought to be an endless supply of cheap electricity) vs. the downside of atomic weapons, etc. I have always been curious how nuclear energy was created and used throughout the world. The nuclear energy, which does supply electricity, has radiation. Japan recently had an earthquake. And they are trying to control the radiation from the damage of the earthquake. If the radiation is not controlled, thousands of people may die. I would also like to know how the creation of nuclear weapons came about. And if anyone uses them, how do they get more?
The second topic that interests me is "Popular Science: Bridging the two cultures". (Research idea #4) I would like to learn how science has had an effect on people around the world. I would like to see how people take a liking or disliking to it. One of the books that is on the list of suggestions for this topic is "The tipping point, blink" written by Malcolm Gladwell, asks a lot of questions that may or may not necessarily have an answer. Two of the questions in the book are: "Why do more and more teenagers smoke, when everyone knows cigarettes kill"? And "why is word-of-mouth so powerful"? These are questions that we have been asking ourselves for years. I am interested to see the view that Malcolm Gladwell has on this.
I will most likely choose "The promise of nuclear energy vs. the downside of atomic weapons. I have always had a strong interest in this. I would like to see how nuclear energy is used, how weapons are made and used, and how powerful they are. The creation of nuclear energy is a creation I am very much looking to explore.