Article Summary: What Really Makes Us Human?

Decent Essays
What Really Makes Us Human?
Humanity has been evolving each and every year by the advancements of technologies. This exponential technological growth has major social, cultural and value impacts, which influences and affects the human race in many ways. In “The Glass Cage: Automation and Us,” writer Nicholas Carr examines how the technology we use in our everyday lives does not make us “post-human” or “transhuman”, but it is what makes us human. Carr’s quote is supported by the ideas represented in multiple texts. In Ronald Bailey’s article he discusses how the goal towards humanity has been to liberate ourselves from our biological constraints. Author Steven Pinker’s article recalls on the positive aspects of technology that is leading our
…show more content…
Therefore Carr’s claim that technology is an inherited human characteristic could be supported in the ways in which we see that technology has strengthen human development, has led to a decrease in human violent tendencies, and how humans have an excessive dependency on technology. As examined in Bailey’s article he discusses how the goal towards humanity has been to liberate ourselves from our biological constraints because as Carr would say technology is what makes us human. Pinker’s article recalls on the positive aspects of technology that is leading our country to have less violence, therefore needing technology to stay humane. Additionally Joy recognizes how much dependency we have on technology since it is within our nature and almost all things around us revolve around technology. Joy again acknowledges how technology gives our dreams form by creating a better quality of life. Moreover, all of these authors have acknowledged the help technology has given us, which connects back to Carr’s main idea in which technology does not make us “post-human” or “transhuman” it is what makes us human. This idea overall has shaped us humans into doing things beyond our natural abilities which has led us to achieve things that were once thought of as

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Imagine technology advancements that allow computers to bond or robots to interact and perform daily functions. Jeffrey R. Young, a senior writer for The Chronicle, published in January 2011, “Programmed for Love.” In this article, he introduces technology’s impact from the perspective of Sherry Turkle, an MIT researcher who has spent 15 years studying. Turkle fears for what the future may hold in terms of technology forming too strong of a connection with people. Young’s article, “Programmed for Love,” is effective because it discusses the dangers of technology advancement on society.…

    • 1145 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In Programming The Post-Human: Computer science redefines “life,” Ellen Ullman uses captivating, argumentative, and reflective language in order to convey the complications of making an intellectual, sentient machine and explores the unanswered, unconventional questions about humans themselves to computer enthusiasts and thinkers. Her use of questions to captivate and engage readers is noteworthy. Likewise, observations, comparisons, contrasts, and analogies support to make her argument. Careful analyses, well reasoned thoughts, anecdotes, and use of metaphors attribute to her reflective way of writing. Published on Harper’s magazine, the complexity of the content of the article and its inferences have been made fairly simple so that anyone,…

    • 1212 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Negative Effects Of Wall-E

    • 906 Words
    • 4 Pages
    • 8 Works Cited

    The benefits of technology is obvious with the way it brings convenience, comfort, and entertainment to our lives, but the negative effects it brings are usually overlooked because of the positive effects it gives us. Technology has affected us mentally, socially, and physically and not always in a good way. If we don't do something to help slow down these effects, our future may turn out like the future of the humans in…

    • 906 Words
    • 4 Pages
    • 8 Works Cited
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “I Am So Totally Digitally Close to You” written by Clive Thompson and “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr both delineate how technology has changed the way individuals interact with others and the way it influences ones point of view. Carr and Thompson also contrast because Carr finds with technology becoming a predominant source of information, the ability to focus and think critically is hindered while, Thompson shows how the use of social media on a daily basis can control lives. “I Am So Totally Digitally Close to You” and “Is Google Making Us Stupid” share similarities because technology has changed the way individuals interact with each other. In Thompson’s “I Am So Totally Digitally Close to You” he aims to explain why individuals are attracted to Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media contact.…

    • 1243 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The View of Future Technology has become a trend that opens the doors to the exploration of surreal technological features. That places us closer to the future people imagined. However, this futuristic world could trap our lives. Instead of enjoying the sunlight and fresh air, we will imprison and control by machines. Everything, people, animals, plants, and objects will be monitoring by machines, and our body, thoughts, and decisions would not have anything to express.…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In “The Great Forgetting” by Nicholas Carr, he elaborates on how technology can affect humans directly…

    • 1089 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Carr predominantly focuses on culture and how technology is linked to society and has many respected articles in major journals, which makes Carr a highly credible source about technology and human behavior. Carr’s recurring themes in his essay brought his point across because of the consistency that was created. The themes that car went back and forth with were peace and the busy…

    • 1492 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One of the most puzzling questions is “what does it mean to be human?” The definition of human is “ A member of the primate genus Homo, especially a member of the species Homo sapiens, distinguished from other apes by a large brain and the capacity for speech”("human"). The definition should also include “thoughts, intelligentes, are self-aware and have emotions”, because humans are complex and unique animals. All though Humans are very similar to chimps, “sharing 98 percent of our genes and many behaviors”, humans stand out due to their level of complex thoughts (Hsu). Some animals share characteristics with humans, such as social groups and communication, but humans take things to an unmatched level.…

    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Humanity is having trouble with the prevalent rate of which technology is developing. It is remarkably rapid that it cannot be controlled by the human mind. Children are choosing robotic machines over regular biological individuals, which creates this bizarre experience between the human and the computer. As a society, we have yet to decide whether this development in the robotic machines is ethically concerning, or if we are able to control the path it takes. Sherry Turkle, author of “Alone Together,” believes we can control the pace and direction of technology.…

    • 1490 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Neil Postman expresses that society is affected in five major ways from the coming of technology; stating that first technology is a trade-off, second, technology is never distributed fairly, third there are forms of social and political prejudices in all technology, forth technology is not additive; but is ecological, and fifth, technology leads to become mythic. In the world’s society today, the five points of Neil Postman’s essay, is a tunneled viewpoint of specific events rather than the grand view of the global communities that have been affected by technology. Postman chose his study groups and viewpoints to help support his five claims. However, in doing so, he left his ideas narrow and opinions straightforward. He neglected to subject…

    • 1363 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Technology is a wonderful thing at time but over the years it has proved itself to cause many problems. We have discovered that technology has many negative consequences that attempt to ruin our society. Some of the negative consequences of being too dependent on technology are that it has taught us to seek convenience rather than using our minds and doing something the way it is meant to be done. We have also allowed technology to influence our minds too much. Technology has been able to influence our minds too much, this is shown in both Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and then article “Is Google making us stupid?” by Nicholas Carr.…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    in 1942, author Isaac Asimov wrote a landmark science fiction book introducing three laws of robotics entitled “I, Robot.” These laws set the groundwork for a multitude of books, movies and other media including the modern movie “I, Robot” based loosely on one of Asimov’s short stories. The popularity of this sub culture highlights the curiosity of AI as we expand our technology. The recurring fear that something man made could overtake us has been one explored often and frequently, which is why Carr’s work comes as no surprise. Carr cites sociologist Daniel Bell when it comes to the use of the technologies we create: “as we use...the tools that extend our mental rather than our physical capacities — we inevitably begin to take on the qualities of those technologies.”…

    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Writing Prompt #1 by Molly McBryde Over the years, technology has become much more significant to society. Humans are constantly developing new software and coming up with new advancements to help the world in several aspects. One way technology is helping the world is in our jobs. Robots are replacing humans on assembly lines, in checkout services, and in our daily conversations over the phone.…

    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What does it mean to be human? Humans, scientifically known as Homo sapiens, are species that have evolved and expanded in many of diverse ways but there has always been one question that every human has asked, what does it mean to be human? At a scientific and technical level to be human you need to have started from a fertilised egg and the moment that egg expands is when you become human. This means that you need to be the genetic offspring of two humans. Many people who don’t have spiritual beliefs support this ideology.…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “To be a human is an amazing feat of both the universe, and to most, God” The opening line that I used on the first day of class for what would become part one of the analytical paper. Having learned abundant amounts of new information over the last three and a half months, my original idea on what it means to be human still feels correct. The three majors themes throughout the semester have been how ideas can change over time, the role of technological advancements in change, and how humans have evolved alongside these advancements and societal changes. The unit on time had the most importance in expressing these three themes. Time affects everything in a humans life from the second they are born to the second they die.…

    • 1515 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays