Questions to Think
- the MAN as in the title is Human Being
- the MACHINE being robot and
- the CONFLICT - the fight between the man and the machine?
- and the role we play to know, where we actually are...??
When gadgets fail...?
- How many of us remember more phone numbers today (if you are a mobile phone user) when compared to our previous days when we did not use mobile phones or digital dairies?
- How often do we use calculators even for simple calculations… ? Especially when compared to our childhood days, where we should not use calculators in class rooms. Can I ask… to what level of dependency did we get into..?
- What if, calculator/digital dairy/mobile phones stop functioning
when we need them the most ? Many of us might have encountered a situation,
when our mobile phones were off when we need its help.
Surely the case, when we lost our mobile phones, along with it the contact phone numbers that are fed into it.
As a solution to this situation, we can type required numbers instead of searching the name from the names list, if not for every number, at least for most frequently used numbers or most required numbers. - ...we compare to another device called robot (with artificial intelligence) or the computer. For the sake of discussion, the computer and the human brain are immutable in their own spheres of competence and hence incomparable.
More Complex Situation is when
This is to say, where a human brain excels – a computer may not and vice-versa and in some grey areas, both may or may not excel or even know its where-abouts, leaving alone exactness.
This way, man has facilitated in the evolution of another man which is just like him
in all manners but who may be enemy to this mankind’s tomorrow.
Technology Evolution and Fear of Loss.
The fact we should accept is that THIS OTHER MAN has no human ailments like
fear, fatigue, pain, pleasure etc,. these natural being's weaknesses
are strengths in our artificially made, non-genetic and evolved enemy of ours, as
they are without adrenal glands or hypothalamus.
Caution to Consider
Would it be acceptable if I say, this computer revolution is leading mankind to dependability… the answer is as simple as YES when we are working with voluminous data and NO when we are working with simple calculations (in calculator perspective or mobile phone usage => quoting as a synonymous example).
Certainly the advantages are numerous as it has spread its tentacles to almost every
field of knowledge, right from the field of archeology with carbon dating to predicting
the probable date of birth of a child in the womb ie, from the pre-historic ages to the future.
Thus, to conclude, as long as man appears to be the CONTROLLER of the utilities / tools / gadgets etc., made by him is advantageous. So, too much of anything is dangerous and hence mankind is in search of limitations.
Hence, where are the limits of comparison, and, where do we draw a line to limit machine activities from human activities.
bottom line:
An age old saying says,
KNOW THY LIMITS AND THEN GO BEYOND THEM
but the that QUESTION REMAINS..is..
Where are the LIMIT,
which could LIMIT, the LIMITS,
of this LIMITedly unLIMITed man,
with LIMITless endeavours.