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LITR 4368 Literature of the Future  |
Sample answers
for Essay 2:
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Liz Davis
Technology: Rise of the Machines
"I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them." - Isaac Asimov
In my
midterm essay, I wrote about how technology is progressive and shapes who we are
as a society. I still believe this is true because humans are innovative and
strive to create new theories and machines. Society has adapted to using
technology as tools with Siri, MapQuest and Google. I can control my entire TV
including my Netflix, Xfinity, Pandora and Xbox One using only my voice. Soon we
will have nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, maybe even time travel. Think
about where we would be if we didn’t have smart phones. This tiny gadget has
influenced who we are as a society and we would not be where we are today
without that device. Technology is constantly evolving and we need to adapt not
only to it, but with it.
Since
the 1960s, NASA has been conducting research towards space exploration. We
strive to know that we are not alone and want to know if anyone else is out
there. If there are, in fact, extra-terrestrials, we could learn valuable
information from them. In Hinterlands,
Olga was a famous astronaut that explored the inside of a black hole. What she
saw was so powerful and terrifying that she went crazy. She brought back an
artifact from the black hole though, a seashell. The story states that “Olga's
seashell generated an entire sub branch of the science [exobiology], devoted
exclusively to the study of . . . Olga's seashell.”
Even though these astronauts knew they would die in the black hole or go crazy
upon their arrival home, they still possessed the desire to explore the unknown
and gain knowledge. If humans are able to learn about other types of physics and
science, then we can progress to exploring more of the universe and maybe even
come in contact with extra-terrestrials.
Tina
Le states in her 2013 essay that “the future seems to sway towards the inorganic
progression of our world.” It is commonly thought that aliens have a hi-tech
lifestyle including weapons, transportation and biology.
Their genetic code will be a foreign language to humans and their weapons and
technology will be far more advanced than anything we can create on earth.
Humans will be inferior and obsolete to extra-terrestrial beings. In
They’re made out of Meat, the aliens
don’t want acknowledge that humans exist. The aliens say “do we really want to
make contact with meat?” They are repulsed that humans are made of meat and
don’t think that they can be an intelligent lifeform. They just ignore the
planet and move on to the next.
Humans are elitist, but in actuality are small compared to the rest of the
universe. We have to develop machines and new technologies so we can continue to
progress in the future as a society and as a race.
Another progression of technology is the integration of man and machine. Skynet
did it in the Terminator series and AMC’s HUMANS has the idea of “synths” that
function as robot assistants. The use of inorganic technology, such as computers
and machines, leads mankind away from using organic materials, such as humans or
plants. For now, humans are made of organic material but in the future might
evolve into something new. In Johnny
Mnemonic, Johnny has implanted a data storage system in his head. He relies
on his cybernetic device merged with his organic brain to bring in money; his
brain is his job. In Burning Chrome,
Automatic Jack lost his arm in the war and now has a bionic arm in its place.
Titanium heart valves, prosthetic limbs, metal hips; it’s really happening. The
realm of medicine and surgical procedures are by far the fastest growing niche
in technological advancement. Prolonging the human lifespan is a common desire
and if we have to use inorganic materials to get there, we will.
Another way for humans to progress through the use of technology is virtual
reality. There are many forms of it today such as video games, the Oculus Rift
and the Holo-lens. In The Onion and I,
the government aims to resolve its overpopulation problem by moving people
into a virtual world. In this world, they are able to do whatever they want,
have whatever they want and even scan their personal belongings into Cyperspace.
In the virtual town of Bidwell, “nobody would feel dissatisfied.” Virtual
reality is progressive for mankind because the Cyperspace is capable of doing
what the earth cannot do – solve the overpopulation issue. This may not be the
healthiest solution to this problem but it shows how much technology has
progressed. In the future, scientists might be able to successfully design a
virtual world that people can actually live in.
The
advancement of technology means progress for the human race because humans
strive for knowledge. These texts exhibit traits of technological change and its
benefits for society. The evolution and advancement of technology is inevitable.
Humans are ambitious. We strive to learn, explore and invent. Generation after
generation, technology is evolving and humans need to adapt to the changes.
In Tina Le’s essay, she writes, “We can either adapt or resist the technological
advances that may eventually change us.” If society cannot not adapt to
technological changes then, as a society, we will not grow.
