Brief 2

This week has been around the role of the body and its intricate relationship with technology. Various posthumanistic movements (Miller, 2011) argue that technology is the next step in human evolution where the natural body will have different degree of prominence: it will merge with technology, it will become obsolete or the body will be augmented via manipulations with the organic matter.

While I’m still writing about it in the future tense, the symbiotic relationship between the body and technology has been reality for a long time. Perhaps, the most thought-provoking idea for me this week has been that ‘part of being human is to seek to escape from one’s humanity by the creation of machines’. (from Miller, 223) Sounds like it’s in our DNA to develop a superior technology that will finally surpass its creator. However, my apocalyptic interpretation may well be explained by my cultural background. According to the BBC article, western cultures tend to feel apprehensive about robots due to the negative image of technology promoted through media (utopia turns into dystopia).

When it comes to education, the fears are the same. How can we trust a non-human? Technology is still black-boxed. Robots have no emotions and ethics. They say, it is impossible for robots to have those, as ethics is contextual and emotions are linked to body reactions, etc. Hence, even though ‘auto-Aristotle’ can become your teacher tomorrow, how ready we are to face the consequences of learning from robots is the question to answer first.   

One thought on “Brief 2”

  1. ‘part of being human is to seek to escape from one’s humanity by the creation of machines’. (from Miller, 223)

    Yes, this is a great quote, and a fascinating idea. I often hear the notion that what separates ‘us’ from other animals is our ability to create sophisticated technologies. However, how do these ideas relate to education? Is this why some feel that technology is inevitable in education? Does online education really allow us to ‘escape’ from the limitations of our bodies, and of the physical place of the campus?

    ‘even though ‘auto-Aristotle’ can become your teacher tomorrow, how ready we are to face the consequences of learning from robots is the question to answer first.’

    Nicely put! I do wonder, though, how seriously we should take the idea of an ‘auto-Aristotle’. Are automated teachers really on the horizon, or is this assumption part of our fear of technology; that we assume an artificial intelligence is going to be as clever and sophisticated as those we see in sci-fi?

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