Apart from it being integral to our reading, writing, and oral skills development, studying English literature allows you to study people and culture. This can be demonstrated quite obviously through something like Shakespeare which is a direct reflection on society, but also through other literature that use language and allusion to inform the reader about a writer’s particular stance on any given issue. Studying English allows you to develop your abilities to form ideas and opinions on a given subject, which is a skill that will prove invaluable your entire life. Not only that, reading allows you to experience more than you ever could in one lifetime without reading. As great as we think our individual experiences are, they are still narrow and limited in their scope, and if we were to rely on them alone, we would become egocentric. Reading allows us to recognize that there is more to see, hear, and feel than we could ever imagine through the thoughts and experiences of unnumerable others, and this revelation is uplifting to those who continue to study English. To put it into a metaphor, English can be thought of as a tall mountain to climb. The further up you keep going, the greater your view becomes, extending your vision further and further to give a greater sense of proportion to you and the world. From up top, you realize that there is more than one individual’s emotions and experiences, and it brings great personal satisfaction to develop this larger vision. Although noboby may ever reach the peak of “the mountain of learning,” it is the act of climbing it which we benefit it from.
All metaphors aside, when you study English, you learn more about yourself as you can examine your own life experiences and relate to the text in a personal way. In addition, when you are asked to write or speak about what you have just read, it forces you to not only analyze the book, but to analyze why it is that you feel a particular way about it. The reason that we enjoy a book is usually because it resonates with us in a way that we oftentimes initially cannot describe. Whether it be a setting that reminds us of a place we grew up, or a character who reminds of someone we know (often being ourselves), a learner of English is constantly making connections between themselves and the text, which is a learning skill that is not so easily taught on its own.
On a more personal level, I continue to study English to ensure that I will never stop reading. Unknowingly, English becomes a deeper part of your life as it is not simply a passive, leisurely act, but something which you can become actively engaged in. For me, English was the one class that I got truly excited for. Each text, whether it be a novel or a play, took me on some kind of journey beyond the classroom, which I believe offers us all a sense of escapism from everyday life. Whether it be in your adolescence or adulthood, most of us can’t deny that we have felt like we wanted to be somewhere else—in a world of fantasy which still feels real to us. For me, reading could always take me where I wanted to be, and I will be forever thankful for that.
Unlike many subjects, literature is not something you forget when you walk out of the classroom or get your diploma. Instead, it acts as something which you can apply everyday, because whether it be consciously or subconsciously, studying English shapes who you are.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
You and Me
"I've been so down lately.
You've been so low lately.
Nothing seems to work out for you and me."
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Transcending Biology: A Look at the Human Cyborg
Here is an excerpt (first 3 paragraphs) of my essay:
Looking at the evolution of the ways in which we use technology, it is clear that we have come to a point where it is an enhancement of biology. In support of the use of science and technology to extend human mental and physical aptitudes, transhumanist thinkers wish to overcome disability, disease, aging, and involuntary death, while continuously pushing technologies’ development and potential. While it is obvious to see the benefits of enhancing our abilities and health,we must also be critical of the posthuman in its socio-economic implications. We live in a society that expects us to keep up, and if we continue progressing at this current rate, those who cannot keep up will be simply left behind. Those whose basic capacities radically exceed those of present humans will inevitably create a new standard which is unnattainable for many, thus allowing technology to define our future class structures. Just as technology can free us, if we do not have access to it or if we choose to protest its uses, then technology can oppress us too.
Before looking at the dangers that technological progression could potentially present for both our society and our economy, it is important to understand the development in the ways in which we use our technologies to enhance our bodies. Although it is now over ten years old, the ideas that Raymond Kurzweil discusses in “The Age of Spiritual Machines” are still relevant. The predictions that Kurzweil makes are eerily accurate, making his arguments far stronger today compared to when they were first published. In his text, Kurzweil uses examples of modern scientific advancements to show that our uses for technology are becoming more and more invasive. Arguing for its benefits to our physical being, Kurzweil explains that while technology started off as something that could fix what was wrong with us, it will eventually make us better than we were in the first place. While its initial challenge was to be as good as human and render itself invisible, new technologies are transcending the capabilities of our bodies. Using the example of our sense of sight, there is a clear lineation of progress. While glasses and contacts were introduced to fill a lack and improve our vision, we have come to a point where lazer eye surgery can be performed to enhance even the best 20/20 vision—an ability which we would have never thought could have been improved without a tool or device. Considering that technology is giving us “superhuman” abilities, there are bound to be several complexities and concerns about enhancing the human body to a point where it is “better” than before. Society's acceptance of new technologies is quickening exponentially, and there is a seemingly unstoppable penetration of technology into the “natural” human condition, which raises the concern of a widening gap between the biological and the robotic.
Going beyond the relationship of technology and or bodies, Kurtzweil seems most interested in studying the brain, which he believes “strikes closer to home,” as we identify more with our brains than with our bodies (121). Specifically, there is much to be said about the complex phenonmen of intelligence, and a human brain’s capacity with and without any form of enhancement. In his chapter “Building New Brains,” Kurtzweil begins by stating: “As we approach the computational ability to stimulate the human brain—we’re not quite there today, but we wll begin to be in a decade’s time” (120). Published in 1999, it is a decade later, and we are in fact here today. With recent developments of neural implants and scanning devices, we will soon have the capabilties to go inside someone’s mind, and discover the algorithms which determine the ways in which our brain processes information, similar to the ideas embodied in William Gibson’s 1984 novel, Neuromancer. According to Kurtzweil’s predictions of where technology is headed, he states that in the second half of the twenty-first century, there will be a growing trend toward making this leap. As Kurtzweil explains, “initially there will be partial porting—replacing aging memory circuits, extending pattern-recognition and reasoning circuits through neural implants” (126). Going even further, Kurtzweil speculates that well before the 21st century is completed, people will port their entire mind file, ultimately turning our brains into software that can outlast our bodies. As software, our mortality will no longer be dependent on the survival of the computing circuitry(129). Reviewed by Silicon.com, a website dedicated to driving business through technological advancement, the key to understanding Kurzweil's philosophy is what he calls “the law of accelerating returns.” This argues that technological change has an exponential not linear progression and thus information technologies which today seem to be inching forward slowly will actually reach a tipping point much faster than expected, and accelerate ever more rapidly thereafter, enabling disruptive change in the relatively near term (Lomas 1). Kurzweil argues that there will be no mortality, at least as we now know it, and just as we transfer files to new computers, we will be able to port ourselves to another hardware. There will still be hardware and bodies, but the essence of our identity will switch to the permanence of our software (Kurzweil 129). As we “port” ourselves, we are extending our capacities, increasing our computational abilties, creating a new mortality.
Looking at the evolution of the ways in which we use technology, it is clear that we have come to a point where it is an enhancement of biology. In support of the use of science and technology to extend human mental and physical aptitudes, transhumanist thinkers wish to overcome disability, disease, aging, and involuntary death, while continuously pushing technologies’ development and potential. While it is obvious to see the benefits of enhancing our abilities and health,we must also be critical of the posthuman in its socio-economic implications. We live in a society that expects us to keep up, and if we continue progressing at this current rate, those who cannot keep up will be simply left behind. Those whose basic capacities radically exceed those of present humans will inevitably create a new standard which is unnattainable for many, thus allowing technology to define our future class structures. Just as technology can free us, if we do not have access to it or if we choose to protest its uses, then technology can oppress us too.
Before looking at the dangers that technological progression could potentially present for both our society and our economy, it is important to understand the development in the ways in which we use our technologies to enhance our bodies. Although it is now over ten years old, the ideas that Raymond Kurzweil discusses in “The Age of Spiritual Machines” are still relevant. The predictions that Kurzweil makes are eerily accurate, making his arguments far stronger today compared to when they were first published. In his text, Kurzweil uses examples of modern scientific advancements to show that our uses for technology are becoming more and more invasive. Arguing for its benefits to our physical being, Kurzweil explains that while technology started off as something that could fix what was wrong with us, it will eventually make us better than we were in the first place. While its initial challenge was to be as good as human and render itself invisible, new technologies are transcending the capabilities of our bodies. Using the example of our sense of sight, there is a clear lineation of progress. While glasses and contacts were introduced to fill a lack and improve our vision, we have come to a point where lazer eye surgery can be performed to enhance even the best 20/20 vision—an ability which we would have never thought could have been improved without a tool or device. Considering that technology is giving us “superhuman” abilities, there are bound to be several complexities and concerns about enhancing the human body to a point where it is “better” than before. Society's acceptance of new technologies is quickening exponentially, and there is a seemingly unstoppable penetration of technology into the “natural” human condition, which raises the concern of a widening gap between the biological and the robotic.
Going beyond the relationship of technology and or bodies, Kurtzweil seems most interested in studying the brain, which he believes “strikes closer to home,” as we identify more with our brains than with our bodies (121). Specifically, there is much to be said about the complex phenonmen of intelligence, and a human brain’s capacity with and without any form of enhancement. In his chapter “Building New Brains,” Kurtzweil begins by stating: “As we approach the computational ability to stimulate the human brain—we’re not quite there today, but we wll begin to be in a decade’s time” (120). Published in 1999, it is a decade later, and we are in fact here today. With recent developments of neural implants and scanning devices, we will soon have the capabilties to go inside someone’s mind, and discover the algorithms which determine the ways in which our brain processes information, similar to the ideas embodied in William Gibson’s 1984 novel, Neuromancer. According to Kurtzweil’s predictions of where technology is headed, he states that in the second half of the twenty-first century, there will be a growing trend toward making this leap. As Kurtzweil explains, “initially there will be partial porting—replacing aging memory circuits, extending pattern-recognition and reasoning circuits through neural implants” (126). Going even further, Kurtzweil speculates that well before the 21st century is completed, people will port their entire mind file, ultimately turning our brains into software that can outlast our bodies. As software, our mortality will no longer be dependent on the survival of the computing circuitry(129). Reviewed by Silicon.com, a website dedicated to driving business through technological advancement, the key to understanding Kurzweil's philosophy is what he calls “the law of accelerating returns.” This argues that technological change has an exponential not linear progression and thus information technologies which today seem to be inching forward slowly will actually reach a tipping point much faster than expected, and accelerate ever more rapidly thereafter, enabling disruptive change in the relatively near term (Lomas 1). Kurzweil argues that there will be no mortality, at least as we now know it, and just as we transfer files to new computers, we will be able to port ourselves to another hardware. There will still be hardware and bodies, but the essence of our identity will switch to the permanence of our software (Kurzweil 129). As we “port” ourselves, we are extending our capacities, increasing our computational abilties, creating a new mortality.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Collide.
Sometimes it is hard living in a city filled with broken dreams and guarded hearts. Where identity has been fragmented to a point where we can't glue ourselves back together, and one is no longer sure who they are. A city where pastiche is trendy, and you can just call yourself eclectic. Tell yourself you're just multi-dimensional. Euphemisms for social media disorders that there isn't enough literature on. A city where vintage is always better, and you swear that all the marks and scratches you have simply add character and authenticity.
A city that I'm in love with, and loves me back unconditionally. Ain't that sweet?
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