Pool Shark Kawano

Thanks for a fun time at your Sekukon. Here is a video of "most improved" Kawano mistakenly sinking the cue ball after being on a roll. Good fun!

Chapter7: Transcend

1. In the Transcend theory Garreau states that we are "patternseeking, storytelling animals"(259), meaning that we have constant desire to give meanings and to believe. In the process of cultural evolution to technological evolution, Garreau questions "if our narratives of how the world works are not matching the facts, are we seeking a new era of sense, intelligibility, clarity, continuity and unity?"(259). What is your response to this? If it is true, do you think there will or will be a necessity for a "Larger frame" than the former ones such as Christianity that has "fallen away"?

2. According to P232, transhumanists believe that the Genetic, Robotic, Information and Nano technologies are changing the way humans are. Do you think that human nature will be altered if we move on GRIN technologies? Or, do you think it will be still the same in the future? Give your opinion with specific supports.




Group Leaders
Asami Hashimoto
Kana Fukushima

Chapter6: Prevail

1. Lanier presents some new types of communication which are described in p215-p219. These are gradually getting realized by some systems such as Twitter. However, as written in p219, "there can be a dark side to all this" and that "they can avoid deep contact in time-consuming and meaningful ways". If these communication systems become mainstream, what other problems will occur? ex) Those who do not possess cell phone will be excluded from the community.

2. The author mentions the Lanier's idea of three ramps of human progresses. The third ramp, which Lanier thinks the most important is the progress of interpersonal connections between people. It says in the p214 that what people should focus on is the quality and the quantity of ways to communicate, and "Not ways in which they become identical, but ways that they become closer." What way would you give as an example of effective way to connect with people more closely and what are the positive and negative effect on it?

3. Lanier mentioned about the three ramps in the prevail scenario: technological and economic advance, moral improvement, and increased connection between people(p210). "Lanier thinks it is important that we carefully pick which ramp on which to focus as we ride the Curve of exponential change"(p223). If we are entering the Prevail scenario, on which ramp do you think we should focus now? And why do you think so?

Group Leaders
Fumika Ishii
Naoko Sawada
Tomoya Motoki

Chapter5 : Hell

1. Garreau,Joy and Fukuyama describe the scenarios in which at best hundreds of thoudsands of people's lives would be lost.
If this can be triggered by scientists' recklessness and needs to be regulated as Joy and Fukuyama insist, how do you think it should be regulated?
Or regulations might be powerless. If so, what do you think could stop technologies from beating us down? Support your opinion with good reasons.

2. Herapeutic society is trying to eliminate pain and suffering(p162). What is your opinion about this? Support your answer with the consequences that might follow. How would a world without pain and suffering be?

3. On page 143, it says "At that stage the machines will be in effective control. People won't be able to just turn the machines off, because they will be so dependent on them that turning them off would amount to suicide". Will humans ever become so dependent on machines that they will lose the ability to turn them off?　What kind of technology do you think will we be so dependent on that by unplugging it will lead you to suicide, and why?


Group Leaders
Tomoaki Kawano
Yumi Ochiai
Yusuke Omori

Chapter 4: Heaven

1. Stock's idea of enhancing humans by adding extra artificial chromosomes to an embryo is introduced in p.g116. It is considered at "the safest way to substantially modify humans" as "the insertion sites could have an off switch activated by an injection if we wanted to stop whatever we'd started... When children who have received auxiliary chromosomes to improve some mental or physical characteristic grow up, they may want to give their own child the same advantage"(p.g 117). Would you apply this technology to your child? Why (not)? How would consequences follow?

2. In the last part of this chapter, the author discusses on the robots and Rodney Allen Brooks's views of the issue. Brooks says "We will become a merger between flesh and machines. ......We won't have to worry about them taking over"(p126,127). On the basis of his expectations mentioned in the text, do you think that it is possible for us to have complete control over both the pure robots and the robot-people ourselves to make full use of the technologies, if they were to come true?

3. Kurzweil predicts the future of 2009 (plentiful of his predictions in the middle of page 98), 2019("...Computers are largely invisible. They are embedded everywhere - in your walls, tables desks, clothing, and body"(99).), 2029(A $1,000 computer has the ability of 1,000 human brains (101).), and 2099("software-based humans"(104). Despite the fact that it is slightly off already, do you think it is accurate to imagine the future based on his predictions? State your opinion with concrete examples.

Group Leaders
Ayaka Tanaka
Yuga Yamaguchi
Yuji Terada

Radical Evolution Chapter 3: The Curve

Questions

1.You have control over when to finish accepting technology. What would be your decision? You can either end it or keep it going on forever. Include in your answer observations on positive and negative effects of technology as mentioned in chapter 3 or give examples of your own.

2. ' Vinge has given some thought to that. "We will see automation replacing higher and higher level jobs......the work that is truly productive is the domain of a steadily smaller and more elite fraction of humanity".'p76

How does this affect the employment scenario in the near future? what effects will we see in the social structure? As an ICU student, how would you future-proof your usefulness, and make sure that you are not replaced by a machine?(e.g job choice, skills etc.)

3. "Out here in Silicon Valley,I have spoken to people who say they consider regular regular human relationships superfluous and outdated, that they get everything they need from the computer. They say that and mean it". p63

How much do you agree with this observation? Do you think that computers can provide the answer to everything from relationships to nature?

Group Leaders:

Aoki Sayaka

Makishima Sayako

Abe Shantonu

Chapter 2

1)On page 44, Michel Goldblatt mentions that in order to save his daughter from life in a wheelchair, he is willing to fundamentally alter human nature. Is there any ethical problems to this decision? Or is it always right to apply the latest technologies to save human beings?

2)When Bielitzki is asked if eliminating the need for food would change human nature,he replies "i dont think human nature changes very much...(p34)". On the other hand, Gina Goldblatt does not actually seek future technology to find cure for her legs because she "sees her cerebral palsy as part of her human nature(p44)". Which way of thinking do you agree with? In what way would (or would not) enhancing human abilities (ex Regenesis, 24/7 soldier, eliminating the need for food) change human nature?

3)In the second chapter, many potentially useful technologies are mentioned、such as telekinesis(p20), pain seizing(p26) and so on. When all of these researches succeed and the technology is introduced to the society, will the sense of it being "ethically wrong" be a strong enough argument to stop the technology from being widely applied? Or would practical benefits overrule ethical controversies?


Discussion Leaders:
Miki Kobayashi
Natsuko Noda
Saori Ibuki

"Radical Evolution" Discussion Questions from Group 1 (Chapter 1)

1.) Garreau mentions the history and relationship of us and our technologies (p.6 "For all previous millennia..." and p.9 "In the late 1990s..."). There are both merits and demerits of using technologies. What kind of negative effects have occurred as a consequences of the use of new technologies until now?

2.)Do you agree with enhancing human ability by technology like the examples in Chapter 1 (living for more than 150 years, metabolically dominant soldier etc...) If you agree, what kind of ability do you want to get? (strong athletic ability or something) Give a specific example. If you disagree, what kind of problems do you think will happen to us by such technology? Explain with reasonable evidence or logic.

3.) In chapter one (pages 7~8), Garreau describes the scenario "The Law of Unintended Consequences" where the "Enhanced" (those who have amazing thinking abilities, beauty, vaccination against pain, telepathy powers, etc), the "Natural" (those who have the choice to become like the "Enhanced" but choose not to), and "The Rest" (those who cannot afford the education or money to become enhanced) may all exist together someday. What kinds of problems may arise from the co-existence of these three types of people?

Group Leaders:
Izumi Munakata
Kaori Suzuki
Kaya Doi