A Frightening New World
Saturday, August 8, 2009 by JCT
The cyborg themed lecture this week raised concerning issues. I have never fathomed that I could indeed be a cyborg of sorts. Yes technology is an integral part of my life as means to a source of health, knowledge and entertainment. Of course won't argue the many ways various technology enhances our lives through such aspects as medicinal advancements which (are supposed to) provide better quality of life, better copmmunicative means regardless of distance, and leisure activities which provide pleasure. But with the good also comes the bad and technology is no exception. Weapons of mass destruction, death from the drugs that were supposed to make us better in the first place (missused or not), and overindulgence of our gadgets causing vision and hearing damage are just a few examples of technology's destructive effects.
I have always preferred the idea of humans being seperate to the machine. If we, the human, created the machine, then surely the machine can only be as smart as its creator-not smarter?
Aldous Huxley, I believe, paints a terrifying cyborg future with his dystopian novel 'A Brave New World'. The World State, which its characters are situated, are conditioned and shaped by various technologies (most notably chemical interference of fertilized eggs and 'soma' hallucinogen) to conform to The World State where everyone is classed off, permanently 'happy' from 'soma', and don't know the concepts of love, hate, and all the emotions in between. No one questions anything about any aspects of their lives because their thoughts are supressed and they are programmed to believe that everything is right in the world. They are simply human shells of a corporate body who are slaves to The World State.
The more technology advances, the more it can be abused. Who decides what is ethical and draws that line? The Avant Garde cyborgs have disturbing visions. If the human body is used as a mere medium, then what is going to happen to Mankind? A becoming of a Programmedkind perhaps?
I have always preferred the idea of humans being seperate to the machine. If we, the human, created the machine, then surely the machine can only be as smart as its creator-not smarter?
Aldous Huxley, I believe, paints a terrifying cyborg future with his dystopian novel 'A Brave New World'. The World State, which its characters are situated, are conditioned and shaped by various technologies (most notably chemical interference of fertilized eggs and 'soma' hallucinogen) to conform to The World State where everyone is classed off, permanently 'happy' from 'soma', and don't know the concepts of love, hate, and all the emotions in between. No one questions anything about any aspects of their lives because their thoughts are supressed and they are programmed to believe that everything is right in the world. They are simply human shells of a corporate body who are slaves to The World State.
The more technology advances, the more it can be abused. Who decides what is ethical and draws that line? The Avant Garde cyborgs have disturbing visions. If the human body is used as a mere medium, then what is going to happen to Mankind? A becoming of a Programmedkind perhaps?