2. What does it mean to be human? Who are you?
One of the most interesting things I thought about while reading "Ever After" by Miles Klee, is that some people have the strongest desire to outsmart biology to "live forever", mainly through the use of technology. I think it's a very interesting concept that people are entertaining the idea of using our own creation, technology, to fight against the inevitable result of our biological creation, death. While the physical body is nowhere near being able to live beyond a certain number of years, some people such as Ray Kurzweil are convinced that we will eventually have "the ability to 'upload' your mind to a network or piece of hardware...He’s convinced the singularity will occur in his lifetime and change society for the better, allowing him to live forever" (Klee 2013). The reasoning behind wanting to live forever? Supporters believe that this is "a stepping-stone on our fated path of accelerating creativity, that godlike quality which will ultimately make us gods" (Klee 2013), but I think this is a weak justification for rather the greed that comes with wanting to live forever. There becomes no purpose to life when everybody lives forever--even if it's in the form of our digital minds that are still thinking and creating. Why should somebody want to live forever, if not to gain everlasting wealth, fame, and power that leaves the soul more empty than fulfilled?
The other article, "Speak, Memory" by Casey Newton, seems to be an application of the idea of immortality discussed in "Ever After". When Kuyda's close friend Roman passed away, she collected his text messages and photos to generate a bot that replicates (as closely as possible) Roman's mannerisms and words over text. Something that struck me about this project is the remark that "it is possible that digital avatars will lengthen the grieving process...'If used wrong, it enables people to hide from their grief...these new ways of keeping the memory alive should not be considered a way to keep a dead person alive'” (Newton). Personally, I think this quote captures exactly how we should view death--people should not be kept "alive" after they die or have their presence replicated through technology, but rather we should keep their memory alive and honored instead. The impact that somebody makes only becomes greater after they die, and that should be properly honored.
Replies:
Hi []! I really like the connection you made between digital footprints and what you're interested in as a cogsci major. I think that the topic of how technology is used to represent ourselves on the internet is really interesting and has great potential, and I see how you were able to connect your passions to the article about how technology uses our data, like the AI bot did for Mazurenko. You also refer the so-called "digital avatars" (Newton) as "mere projection of someone that no longer exists" and contrasted that with the perspective that Klee's article mentions, about how we can use technology to "surpass the physical self" (Klee), which was really great and showcases both sides of the moral argument well!
Hi []! Your thoughts are really really insightful--I loved your observation about life experiences and how that enhances the "finitude of life", and how you see death as the start of a new one. I also liked your idea of how immortality should be about the quality of life rather than the number of years we could live. It's a more grounded perspective in appreciating the life you currently have, versus many peoples' ideals of wanting immortality for the sake of money or fame. I'm just curious, do you think that eventually in the future we will have the technology to biologically stop death, whether through the scientific methods you mentioned or a different one?
The other article, "Speak, Memory" by Casey Newton, seems to be an application of the idea of immortality discussed in "Ever After". When Kuyda's close friend Roman passed away, she collected his text messages and photos to generate a bot that replicates (as closely as possible) Roman's mannerisms and words over text. Something that struck me about this project is the remark that "it is possible that digital avatars will lengthen the grieving process...'If used wrong, it enables people to hide from their grief...these new ways of keeping the memory alive should not be considered a way to keep a dead person alive'” (Newton). Personally, I think this quote captures exactly how we should view death--people should not be kept "alive" after they die or have their presence replicated through technology, but rather we should keep their memory alive and honored instead. The impact that somebody makes only becomes greater after they die, and that should be properly honored.
Replies:
Hi []! I really like the connection you made between digital footprints and what you're interested in as a cogsci major. I think that the topic of how technology is used to represent ourselves on the internet is really interesting and has great potential, and I see how you were able to connect your passions to the article about how technology uses our data, like the AI bot did for Mazurenko. You also refer the so-called "digital avatars" (Newton) as "mere projection of someone that no longer exists" and contrasted that with the perspective that Klee's article mentions, about how we can use technology to "surpass the physical self" (Klee), which was really great and showcases both sides of the moral argument well!
Hi []! Your thoughts are really really insightful--I loved your observation about life experiences and how that enhances the "finitude of life", and how you see death as the start of a new one. I also liked your idea of how immortality should be about the quality of life rather than the number of years we could live. It's a more grounded perspective in appreciating the life you currently have, versus many peoples' ideals of wanting immortality for the sake of money or fame. I'm just curious, do you think that eventually in the future we will have the technology to biologically stop death, whether through the scientific methods you mentioned or a different one?