I went to the TED conference yesterday, all day, and it was very mentally engaging. I was on the edge of my seat until i had been sitting there for four hours and, during the talk about Matthew Barney and prosthetic legs, my behind got numb. So i had to get up.
But, i have to mention two themes that i found very interesting--the definition of human beings and video games-as-art.
The prosthesis speaker talked about the redefinition of human beings due to blossoming technologies. How much of a human being can we replace with man-made stuff--petry dish grown ears, hearts augmented with mice stem cells that literally begin to beat again, and whole prosthetic limbs--before we no longer call it 'human.' Will our definition of 'human' change as time goes by....is incorporating technology into our bodies a part of the evolution of our species?
Big questions.
The video games-as-art, once it was brought to my attention, was more of a no brainer. There's this new game called Flower where you spend your time as a flower petal, whisping through grass blades, picking up friends in the wind, and turning green the dead foliage. Maybe its girly to like this kind of thing. But, i think it's profound, too. As the speaker said, this technology ignites human emotions, an integral part of being human that has not really been spoken to before. (human tools such as strategy, communication, etc have all been dealt with, but not the more fine-tuned melancholies or small pleasures in life.)
So, is technology becoming more and more human, or are humans becoming more and more technology?
Related Posts : Matthew Barney,
prosthetics,
science,
technology,
TED conference
I went to the TED conference yesterday, all day, and it was very mentally engaging. I was on the edge of my seat until i had been sitting there for four hours and, during the talk about Matthew Barney and prosthetic legs, my behind got numb. So i had to get up.
But, i have to mention two themes that i found very interesting--the definition of human beings and video games-as-art.
The prosthesis speaker talked about the redefinition of human beings due to blossoming technologies. How much of a human being can we replace with man-made stuff--petry dish grown ears, hearts augmented with mice stem cells that literally begin to beat again, and whole prosthetic limbs--before we no longer call it 'human.' Will our definition of 'human' change as time goes by....is incorporating technology into our bodies a part of the evolution of our species?
Big questions.
The video games-as-art, once it was brought to my attention, was more of a no brainer. There's this new game called Flower where you spend your time as a flower petal, whisping through grass blades, picking up friends in the wind, and turning green the dead foliage. Maybe its girly to like this kind of thing. But, i think it's profound, too. As the speaker said, this technology ignites human emotions, an integral part of being human that has not really been spoken to before. (human tools such as strategy, communication, etc have all been dealt with, but not the more fine-tuned melancholies or small pleasures in life.)
So, is technology becoming more and more human, or are humans becoming more and more technology?
Maybe we're meeting in the middle.
ReplyDeleteinteresting--someone recently pointed out to me that species definition is based on convenience and the need to identify groups. we will always have this need, but im wondering how our boundaries will change over time, based on the technology we integrate into our body. thanks for bringing this to my attention.
ReplyDeleteThe Change of Meaning Over Time
ReplyDeleteDefinitions and boundaries will fluctuate based on individuals sense of convenience, needs, focus and priority. Organizational definitions will tend to be more elaborate and precise.
Different views and different levels of knowledge will alter meanings and usage between different indivituals, groups, and whatever is in between.