Lecture 20

Question 1

What is Samuel Flormans view on technology

Answer 1

• He argued that technological progress is the true measure of human development aligning with technological determinism
• He believed engineers operate independently from external factors

Question 2

What is Ray Kurzweil’s perspective on singularity and AI?

Answer 2

• Kurzweil predicts that AI systems will become autonomous learning and evolving without human input
• He views singularity as the point where AI suprasses human intelligence
• Examples include advanced AI like ChatGPT 4 and beyond

Question 4

What did Lewis Mumford warn about unlimited technological progress?

Answer 4

Lewis Mumford argued that unchecked technological progress could eventually eliminate humanity, highlighting the dangers of biological determinism

Question 5

What is Jacques Ellul’s critique of technology?

Answer 5

• Ellul believed technology controls us and should not serve political or economic purposes
• He likened society to Plato’s allegory of the cave, where people (sleepers) are trapped and unaware of their dependency on technology

Question 6

What were Neil Postman’s three main critiques of technology

Answer 6

• Technology is a tradeoff we gain benefits but lose other aspects of society
• Technology transforms societies always creating societal shifts
• Humans becomes obedient to technology becoming tools of our tools

Question 7

What is scientism according to Neil Postman

Answer 7

Scientism is the unquestioned acceptance of science to provide answers for how to feel, live, or behave. Postman argued this mindset led to technopoly

Question 8

What is technopoly?

Answer 8

• Technopoly is a society dominated by technology and scientism where technological systems govern every aspect if life
• Postman describes it as the world we currently live in

Question 9

Who were the Luddites and what was their struggle about?

Answer 9

• Luddites opposed the factory system which prioritized profit over the traditional domestic way of life
• They are often misinterpreted as anti technology but were protesting societal changes
  In 1812 they were massacred under new laws protecting factories

Question 10

What is the significance of Postman’s experiment on scientism and technopoly

Answer 10

Postman demonstrated how scentism the reliance on science for all answers–evolved into technopoly where society unquestionably depends on technology to solve human problems