Author: Alexis Ziur

Automated technology has surrounded us for the longest time now. We see in McDonald’s with their introduction of automated kiosks where one can place their order without having to interact with an employee. We see it in the car industry as explained in the reading, where they are taking in the manufacturing jobs and contributing to the rapid product lifecycle; in the medical field they are making advancements for the introduction of robots into the operating rooms, CNN reporting in March 2016 that a team of surgeons at the Children’s National Medical Center showed for the first time how a supervised autonomous robot could perform soft-tissue surgery (on a pig) and stitching doing so better than a human surgeon. The introduction of automated robots allows our manufacturing system to be more competitive but at what cost? Martin Ford provides the negative impacts that will com with such advancements the disruption of the service sector being the one most affected. The introduction of robots will reduce labor costs but it will also reduce the space needed for workers in the field affecting their economical and living conditions. With the example of the robot that can produce 360 burgers in an hour, the co-founder of the machine said that with its introduction, “reducing the amount of space required in the kitchens will allow restaurants to spend more in high-quality ingredients…”. If we make it more general and not only apply it to the quality of the food but the overall quality of the products we use and consume,  by eliminating those jobs that provided an income to many, how will people be able to afford these “high-quality” commodities? The introduction of automated robots will eliminate those jobs that once was the sole income of a family. I think that the advancements occurring in technology nowadays are not bad; in fact their involvement in manufacturing is allowing for more precise products and for a faster production in greater quantities but I also thinking that as a society we have to evaluate where will these advancements take us and how it will affect the living conditions of the working class. Where will our society be driven to in the upcoming years if we shift to a system solemnly dependent on automated technology?

While discussing whether our society is ready for the introduction of robots or not, it was very interesting to note the different view points people brought in class. When asked the question, I could not help but think that in some sort of way people seem ready for it because of our “obsession” with advancement in technologies. We always are wanting more of the new thing to out compete other economies, thus if the introduction of robots is the new thing in the market I think people wouldn’t necessarily be scared but curious about it. But in the other hand, it is true what we discussed in class. Our society has so many issues that introducing this new race wouldn’t be beneficial. If we do have robots, how do we classify them? Do we give them gender? Are the equal or inferior to humans? Do we allow them to integrate in our society? Do we make it accessible to everyone? These are some of the questions that I think the answers will be hard to find until our society solve these same issues that exists among humans. It will be particularly hard coming up with laws and rules that would no longer address the rights of humans and how they should behave, but would have to now relate to robots as well.  Isaac Asimov show us what a world with robots could look like and, likewise the human-robot interaction that exists in this universe, I feel like that would be the same thing we observe in earth with the first introduction of robots. People feel safe in their comfort zone thus the application of robots would do nothing but disturb this. I agree with what we said in class; with the advancements in technology, the introduction of robots ultimately will happen but people will just need time in order to get used to this change.

During this week we learned about the diverse ethic theories that can be applied to the behaviors of society. It was interesting to note that in order to be able to judge, and make a rational decision when confronting an ethical dilemma, one must separate their morality from reason. Thus, in theory ethics and morality cannot coexist when formulating a decision. Even in Rawl’s theory of justice he explains that the person should be hidden behind a “veil of ignorance” when making a decision or if holding a higher position dictating laws, where they are not driven by their moral values but rather by the facts because they don’t know if someday they would be in the same situation. Taking all this into consideration, we then move to the reading of “The Bicentennial Man” where the story of the robot trying to defy societal standards by advocating for the rights of robots, can be applied to the time in history of a segregated community. The black community did the same thing by defying the Jim Crow laws established during the time period. For the example of “The Bicentennial Man,” Andrew Martin believed that if he could understand, analyze, and behave like humans did he should to be able to enjoy the freedom and rights of those individuals. For the black community during the time of segregation it was the same situation; if the only thing that “separated” from one another was the pigment of their skin, then why couldn’t they enjoy the same rights the white community did. Thus the issue lies in the question of where to draw the line in order to determine whether what we as a society establish as the qualities and characteristics necessary for an individual to fit certain standards imposed by the law or even the opinions of others. Even in today’s world we see these issues were ethical dilemmas still exist in the form of discrimination based on color, sexuality, and religion. With the new presidency we see the president of a nation whose national anthem quotes “land of the free,” trying to establish laws based on his moral notions and what he believes in, which transgress the purpose of this country and the opportunities it has to offer. This in turn makes me feel like we are living in a world were this said line, necessary to distinguish whether the foundations of decisions and laws are based on reason rather than morality, is not clearly established thus allowing authorities to abuse its power.

While watching the movie of the World’s Fair, I couldn’t stop myself from comparing the developments achieved to the theme explored by Anson Rabinbach in The Human Motor, where he views the human as a machine. It was surprising to see how these people could succeed in building such environment in such little time and how they were able to come up with innovations on the spot that would allow them to progress very rapidly with the project. Anson discusses how the worker or the “machine” desires to achieve infinite productivity because of the notion of wanting to progress and be the very best. In the movie, this could be seen when the workers worked from day to night in the construction of the fair. All the innovations and technology showcased were the product of the constant work put into such project and the desire to out-compete other nations. Even in today’s world, this notion of having to be in constant motion, achieving this “infinite productivity” keeps on revolutionizing the workforce. This is seen in the group of people that have characterized their work as a major priority in their lives,  those who “stay late and come in early” to the office, those who can’t go on a family vacation without taking their computers or checking their emails because “you never know if there’s an emergency” and even those who believe that work is the key to success. I tend to disagree because if the work someone’s doing is not goal oriented, then how could that measure success? Today’s society is constantly working because of the profit they will receive in return, not particularly for the skills they acquire along the way. Anson refers to energy as a transcendental principle where it becomes the groundwork of an individual’s thoughts and actions. If you think about it, it seems like these people not desiring to be more proficient within their work field but rather are doing it for the money are just wasting their energy instead of taking advantage of it because at the end of the day these profits are just temporary. Its interesting to thinking on how society’s perspective about work has changed throughout time. Even in A Connecticut’s Yankee we see how at the beginning of the book Hank is judgmental about the laborers for being “foolish” people since they weren’t gaining any profit from their work. He also mentions that because of the power his knowledge granted him, he could govern the city and become the wealthiest man. His approach toward this uncivilized society then changes when he realizes that the skills he teaches the people is what would allow the city to develop and be successful, not necessarily the monetary profit he would gain from it. I believe people should stray away from the notion of using work just for monetary benefits and start seeing it as an arena where they could further expand their knowledge because knowledge, in turn, will govern the way social development is achieved in the next generations.

Time/ Machine a course that will teach me how through time, we’ve come to built/develop these different “machines” we have weaved into our daily routines… or that’s what I thought. When we had to discuss whether we agreed or not with the author comparing the human brain to a computer, I found myself in the batch of those who were startled  by this idea. As a biology major, we’ve talked about the central nervous system which is composed of the brain and the spinal cord, the different parts of the brain and their functions, the role of neurons in deliverance of information, but have never made this distinction of the possibility that the brain behaves just as a computer. I tried finding other arguments including the second article we had to read about the brain NOT being a computer that could refute this idea but the longer I thought of it, the more complex this became. Indeed, if one wants to look at the components of a computer and compare it to what interacts with our brain, we can attempt to justify that as most of the computers (usually desktops) need specific cables to function properly, neurons and nerves behave the same way delivering information throughout the body. It was just really interesting to apply such behavior to what we know about our brains and think how it can potentially revolutionize the way scientist study such complex system.

On the other hand, when reading “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” it was interesting to explore how technology has played an important role in modern generations and drives the desire of most individuals to want to be the best. This is seen in Morgan’s attitude change when he realized he had the power to drive the development of Camelot. When he first noticed where he was, he was not content; there were no commodities, and everything was strange. He mentions how “it is the little conveniences that make the real comfort in life” but it is kind of humorous to even think about the conveniences he was referring to (soap, matches, mirrors) because in today’s world those are deem as unimportant. But then one see throughout the reading, that these inconveniences are no longer dreadful because he is able to use his knowledge to rearrange the system and drive the development of more important institutions that will bring with them more technological advances. I think his desire to see development within the city is kind of bogus because it doesn’t seem like he is doing it for the people but rather to be able to reach a level within this particular society where he can feel comfortable in the environment he is situated in. As a result he might be changing the city for the better and introduce technological advances that if in real life, could have been the ones shaping the pathway to what we have and know today, but it is kind of idealistic to think that there’s no self-interest among his actions and desires.