In our class we've learned about a lot of different technologies and how they help individuals in both their personal and business lives. But are all these advances in technology good for us?
We can all pretty much agree that Socrates (yes we are talking about a Greek philosopher in a technology class) was a brilliant man. We can also agree that, for centuries, we've defined an "educated" person as someone who can "read and write". Its very interesting then to note that Socrates "bemoaned the development of writing" and thus also books and reading. His reasoning stemmed out of a fear that as people would come to rely on written word and books, that they would "cease to exercise their memory and become forgetful." He went on to say that without proper instruction on how to train the mind, people would not truly be knowledgeable, and instead would be truly ignorant.
As we mentioned in class..."if you don't know the answer to something, you can just Google it". Don't know the name of an actor or movie, just IMDB it. Don't worry about getting directions to your destination, just plug it into your GPS.
For my whole life people had to look at maps in order to find their way to a destination. I have memories of being amazed by my fathers ability to recall street names and directions to my friends house that he was only at once and over a year ago. He took pride in remembering directions. My father-in-law, took pride in remember account numbers, and yes, the 16 digit ones. All too often, navigation today is handed off to technology. Most people have no idea how to read a map, estimate distance, and relate it to their physical surroundings. And why should they, machines and satellites do it much better. And come on....remembering a 16 digit account number...impossible!
When I was in 4th grade, you had to actually memorize the 50 states and capitals and all former US Presidents. We would race against our friends and parents to see who could recite them faster. Does it matter? Well, today, the iPhone will tell me more about any state or president than I could possibly ever remember. But have we stopped exercising our minds and conditioning it to be smarter. I'll be honest, I don't remember the last time I bothered remembering a phone number. I just hit the voice command on my phone and speak "Call Home".
Most of the time, technology makes us feel smarter. When a friend at a party shouts out the answer to a question that no one else could remember (because he looked it up on his phone) your friend feels superficially smarter....but is he really dumber because he isn't strengthening the brain wiring that solves problems and instead relying on a machine.
My grandfather just passed away this year at the ripe old age of 104! Right up until the end, his brain was sharp. He remembered people and names. Could tell stories from things that happened years ago, and loved doing crossword puzzles. He would do them all day and was fast. After filling in the correct response to one of the questions, he would glance up at whoever was sitting next to him and ask "Did you know that?" This is a man who never had an iPhone, never owned a computer, and certainly never searched for anything online.
If Socrates was scared that writing and books would make us ignorant, what would he think of all the technology benefits we have today? I bet you could "Google it" to find out.
What do you think?
I believe that Socrates would not be happy at all of the dependence people have on technology. Again, we see it as beneficial that all of the technology that we possess helps us out tremendously. As an example, barely anyone uses maps, read newspapers, etc. Anything that one needs to know can be searched on an iPhone or computer. It's quick and easy, one can find an answer to a question in a matter of seconds. We think that the advancements of technology is the greatest invention that mankind has ever seen. Socrates on the other hand would think that since we use technology so much people are not training their minds and are very ignorant.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point that Socrates would be disappointed in today's society, for our dependence on technology. We no longer exercise our minds and retain the things we learn, due to the ability to search up all our questions on our phones. We no longer use maps, instead we on rely on our GPS which can fail or lead us the wrong way. This dependence on technology has certainly made us ignorant.
DeleteI agree with you Mark. Besides the people that actually develop and create these various types of technology, the average person is becoming less and less intellectually challenged. It appears that problem solving and critical thinking are becoming a thing of past. Why challenge one's mind, when the answer is 2 clicks away.
DeleteAs technology continue to advance it seems our dependency grows with it. Technology is the biggest contribution to productivity and efficiency as it allow people to be more precise and accurate in analyzing data communication, along with many other fields. Despite the tremendous benefits that technology provides it cripples people to from attaining common knowledge and having the ability to recite it. The time gap between reciting information and searching it is extremely underestimated, it is evidence to the lack of investment people actually put in learning. I believe Socrates would be overwhelmingly disappointed if he witness the thinking process we use to solve problems. His fear of writing and reading would been magnified by the internet. Technology has made us better at find information but, has damaged our able to remember it because it's only important when you have to use it. It's fascinating how people can continue to modernize technology to decrease the usage of their our mind.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you one hundred percent and I think you are spot on with how Socrates felt. I really do believe that Socrates would be very disappointed if we used technology basically to solve every problem that we have. Technology has made solving problems a lot easier and faster. Most of the time we use technology to find answers to questions but never retain the information. I believe that if technology vastly improves as time goes on, no one will try to use their's mind and solely depend on technology.
DeleteFrederick Zhao - I completely agree with the idea that Socrates would be very disappointed in our dependence on technology, as we often use it to solve multiple problems that we stumble upon. Although technology is beneficial, it ultimately prevents us from retaining the information that we learn. Therefore, Socrates would definitely find us to be quite ignorant. We cannot learn and excel by relying on just technology. For instance, calculators aren't always correct and may give us wrong answers. In addition, global positioning systems aren't always accurate and may give us inaccurate directions.
DeleteFrederick Zhao - Way back before the first computer was invented, solving problems and creating theories took a lot more effort and time. Therefore, it goes without saying that the Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle proved to be brilliant. Without the technology that we have today, these philosophers were able to write and cover a ton of subjects such as physics, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, biology, ethics, poetry, and many others. Socrates would certainly be upset with the dependence people have on technology today; our dependence grows as technology advances. Looking back to the previous blog post about social media, it is clear to say that technology has proved to be beneficial in guiding us in finding solutions to problems that we stumble upon. In today's society, calculators, cameras, tablets, phones, global positioning systems, music players, laptops, and many other electronics are developed to guide and benefit us. Without paper and pencil, information can easily be analyzed and processed, and strenuous math problems can be simply solved with a calculator. Hand-held maps and compasses are barely used to navigate anymore due to the advanced technology. Technology does indeed have its benefits, but at the same time, it prevents us from attaining the knowledge needed to surpass in the future; one cannot learn and excel by relying on just technology. Comparing ourselves to Socrates, it is clear to say that we are simply ignorant for using technology to our own needs.
ReplyDeleteI agree that with computers and technology solving problems and knowing about different subjects has become easier. We can easily solve difficult math problems with our calculators or look up the periodic table without having to memorize it. However I am not totally sure if that makes us simply ignorant. There are many ways for us to use this new easy access to information in a way that can help us become better educated human beings. Technology opened to door to sharing more and more information about the world, but it does not have to be a bad things. We may not necessarily memorize specific facts, but we can now find it very easily and use that to increase our knowledge.
DeleteI agree that technology harms us just as much as it benefit us. It condenses our thought process and prevent us from putting effort into our work. People today don't learn material we hold it in our memory bank until we need to use it then we forget. Even with technology we don't memorize anything, how many numbers and addresses you think we can recite?
DeleteWith the invention and innovations of technology, there seems to be no need to memorize many facts. It is to our advantage that we are able to access a greater wealth of knowledge than ever before. However we rely way too much on technology. If Socrates was scared that books and writings would make us ignorant, then he would be devastated to see how ignorant we may become with computers and technology. In the age of the Internet and mobile devices, it seems like many people still rarely even read books. Knowledge is so accessible and easy that a person doesn't have to memorize facts about different subjects. It is so easy for us to take out our phones and look up the answers to almost every question. Now technology has so distracted us that it takes away time for us to really think about anything and store knowledge in our minds. We have ceased to exercise memory and we rely heavily on the Internet. However I am not sure if this makes us ignorant. We live in a period where we do not have to memorize everything and where everything is easily accessible. We can use our technology to reach greater information and knowledge that Socrates never had before.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with your blog post. As a society, we rely on technology for almost everything. Socrates would be so upset of our dependence with computers and smartphones. The advances of technology has truly distracted us to where no one deeply ponders and thinks about an answer to questions. We just look it up and find out answer in a matter of seconds. I think the ignorant part is that we barely use our minds for anything, even for simple questions. But with the advances of technology, we can access information that Socrates never had before.
DeletePatrick Roberts-- As i said in my post, i am a big advocate of where technology has taken us, but am not a fan of how ignorant we have all become because of it. I like your example of how people rarely read books anymore. It is so easy for someone to find a detailed summary of a novel online that students rarely need to actually read a book they are assigned in class. I am not sure if technology has made us ignorant though. All technology has done is force us to adapt to a world that utilizes technology on an everyday basis. It is not that we are ignorant, it is that we simply do not need to know the minute details we once had to prior to our technological advancements.
DeleteIf Socrates saw how far we have come in terms of technology I think at first he would be impressed. Because he was a scholar the idea of having all this information at your disposal would appeal greatly to him. I'm sure he would respect the technology to an extent because he would realize how valuable it is to scientists and philosophers today. That being said, I believe that he would not like technologies impact on society as a whole. It is becoming harder and harder to retain information because there is simply no need for it. In college you hear all these horror stories of how people have to memorize a lot of information for a test and have to cram hours before they take it. That is due to memorization becoming obsolete. The whole style of education and teaching is changing with technology and I don't think Socrates would approve. Entertainment used to be picking up a good book and reading it, now its devolved into watching television. Even on our down time we are doing less to strengthen our minds. So while he would be impressed with how far our technology has come, his overall impression of our society would be that we are indeed descending into ignorance.
ReplyDeleteI also think Socrates would be impressed at first by our advanced technology but he would also try to discourage society from being entirely dependent on it. It's true that forms of entertainment have changed from books to television and movies. Memorization is a difficult task for many people in today's society whereas before advances in technology it common and simple for most people.
DeleteI think this is a good point because our advancements are impressive. Unfortunately, most people are using technology for bad reasons. Despite this, I think people have this idea that everybody from the past was intelligent. While today it involves watching a reality TV show, back then it may have been some other wasteful pastime. Additionally, I believe that a combination of technology and strengthening ones brain, through reading and writing, is something that can still be achieved.
DeleteChristina Madsen - I completely agree with you, I do think Socrates would at first be fascinated by how much we have accomplished through new technologies. With that being said, I can also understand what you mean when you say that retaining information like studying for a test might be harder than it used to because we do not exercise our brain enough. I too think that he would be stunned when he realized how dependent our whole society is on technologies just to perform simple day-to-day tasks.
DeleteSeeing how technology has developed over the past, and the dependence people have on it would certainly disappoint Socrates. Technology does give us the opportunity to expand our knowledge, it gives us the ability have access to information without trouble. However, many people don't use technology as a way to be knowledgeable, instead it is used simply to find answers. People are no longer retaining information the read instead they just look at Google. It is harder for people to memorize what they have read because they don't see a need in it, something that Socrates wouldn't approve of. We rely to much on technology to give us the information that we need, and if technology one day fails, many people wouldn't know what to do. Technology can be used to enhance our knowledge, however, we have become dependent of it, something Socrates would be disappointed in.
ReplyDeleteI really do think Socrates would be disappointed in society today. With everything at the tip of your finger why need to take the time and memorize something you can look up again. Its a catch 22. Computers and the internet have increased our knowledge but know we cannot retain that information like people who would go to the books to research a topic!
DeleteIf you notice the way we became dependent on technology is the same way we memorize things. We know how to navigate any smartphone without a problem or set of instructions, however people can't navigate through buildings and neighborhoods without GPS. Learning is not prioritized in our society, all that matters is if you know how to use technology to find the answer. I fear the day when people are able to answer simple math question quicker on a calculator then by hand.
DeleteOver the past decade, society has such a strong dependence on the use of technology to get through daily tasks. Socrates was man who thought beyond his times and was hinting to books and written words as a change that can be both beneficial and harmful. The one part about technology that really bothers me is that people have forgotten how to write in cursive. I remember spending weeks in the second grade learning how to write each letter; how could anyone ever forget that? When a handwritten cursive essay was assigned to my 8th grade class, everyone had no idea how to write in cursive. Since everything is now required to be typed, its just an "art" form that was lost. Technology is a great benefit to society, but some of the little things have been forgotten. Can anyone imagine their life without a computer or actually going to the encyclopedia to research a topic? It something we take for granted but should still go through the motions of accomplishing something without the use of technology.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that society is dependent on technology for simple everyday tasks. It's hard to think how different our lives would be without technology and how much harder it would be to get basic things done such as research. Many people do take technology for granted and many of us don't realize how much simpler our lives are because of technology.
DeleteI agree with you technology has made us forget certain things, due to our dependence on it. I also remember that when taking the SAT some people didn't remember how to write in cursive. Technology has made us forget something so simple, due to certain things such as typing be so convenient. Technology is a benefit to society, and many people don't realize how technology has impacted our lives,
DeleteChristina Madsen - You brought up a good point about people no longer writing in cursive. I almost always write in cursive and I am sometimes stunned when people tell me they can not read my handwriting because they don't really know how to read cursive. Similarly, I think that we are way too dependent on calculators and even at math classes here at TCNJ I have noticed that many people (myself included) need to use calculators to just solve simple arithmetic like multiplication. Additionally, with autocorrect in texting and everywhere else I think people's spelling and grammar is deteriorating.
DeleteYou raise an interesting point about "lost" arts. Another example I can think of would be simply playing a musical instrument. Sounding like Mozart is only a couple clicks away thanks to audio and sound boards where a 100 years ago a talented musician could be seen as an extremely high figure in the public eye.
DeleteI think Socrates would be very disappointed in the technological society we live in today. Technology has made our lives so much easier but has also taken away our ability to think and remember things. I personally know that I can't travel somewhere without my GPS or I would get lost. We have become so attached to our phones and electronics that we have forgotten how to communicate with other people in person. Society is so dependent on technology that we don't know what to do without it. There are many benefits that come from technology; however, it has weakened our ability to think critically and we rely more on technology rather than our minds.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with you. Socrates would be heartbroken if he saw the state of our society today. We can't hold a conversation with anyone that isn't through texting or facebook. We literally couldn't find our way if it wasn't for GPS. It is sad to see where our society is heading because as time goes on, we move farther and farther away from connecting on a social and intimate level.
DeleteFrederick Zhao - I completely agree with you. Socrates would be very disappointed in our dependence on technology, as we often use it to solve multiple problems that we stumble upon. Although technology is beneficial, it ultimately prevents us from retaining the information that we learn. It has absolutely weakened our ability to think critically. Therefore, Socrates would definitely find us to be quite ignorant. We cannot learn and excel by relying on just technology. For instance, calculators aren't always correct and may give us wrong answers. In addition, global positioning systems aren't always accurate and may give us inaccurate directions.
DeleteThere is some truth to the idea that most of society has lost their "sharpness" due to technology. While this may be true, I believe that there are significant aspects of society that are underlooked due to the advances in technology. If one views things that may need to be remembered, how important is it that we know our bank account numbers by heart? Obviously, it would be excellent for our brains to have retained all of this knowledge, but I believe that less of our reliance on the hardwiring of our brain has actually helped us in other aspects. Past generations have had the mentality of having to do things the way they have always been done. Which, for the most part, has worked for them. Although this may be a unique point, I believe that our generation, because of the fact that the world is changing more rapidly than ever, has been able to adapt to new ideas and things that are acceptable. This is something past generations cannot exactly say for themselves, as most people were very rigid and "old-fashioned". Because of the internet and technology, the Egyptian revolution took place, as well as many efforts to benefit society. I do believe many people have become too reliant on technology, but if one is able to look at the bigger picture, it is evident that the benefits have outweighed the negatives.
ReplyDeleteThe benefits have totally outweighed the negatives. The negative aspect of technology is still a topic of conversation because there are generations who are still learning about technology and what it does. People can still say..."it wasn't this way when I was young". What happens when the upcoming generations does not know any better and people aren't pointing out things they used to do without the aid of technology? Technology has changed society drastically in a short period of time and it takes time to adjust to realized all of the great benefits!
DeleteThere are negative and positive aspects to having technology. I am of the mindset that less is more. For one, many young people in this generation can’t hold a conversation with a friend, family member, or professor. They simply cannot hold a conversation that is more than 140 characters. Gone are the days where your friend would come to the door, have a conversation with your parents, and then leave with you. Now they simply send a ‘here’ text. I think this is truly a tragedy. Socially, I think there should be more of a concentration on developing social skills that have allowed for the survival of our people, and less of a concentration on who has the better phone, app, operating system, etc. Technology does make certain things easier. You can simply follow a voice to a destination in your car, say commands to your phone and get results, or record shows that you miss due to your busy schedule. There are certainly benefits in the medical field, where technology is imperative to development. The need for better and more efficient means of production drives costs down ten-fold. There are places where technology is absolutely needed but there needs to be more of a separation between social technology and technology that legitimately improves and saves life.
ReplyDeleteYou raise an interesting point about the social pitfalls of technology rather than the intellectual ones. You're right that the social abilities of today's generation are, in general, inferior to past generations. However, technology also gives us new ways to keep in contact with our friends and family. Texting is useful for holding small conversations or staying in touch when a phone conversation isn't otherwise an option. Combining these methods with real interaction can provide an even stronger attachment than was present in the past. However, how can you teach children to be more social, and when should it start? Social interaction begins long before the formal education process, and starts with good parenting. It is really the parents' responsibility to make sure that their children are developing adequately.
DeleteIn my opinion, technology is a 100% good thing. While people like your father and father-in-law took pride in being able to remember long strings of information, with today's technology we don't need to be able to do that. The average person, even if your parents' generation, probably would not be able to remember long numbers like that and would need to write them down and look them up. With today's technology, we can record as many long numbers as we need to and look them up in the blink of an eye. Technology makes information more accessible to everyone. While unintelligent people can use it to make them look smarter and recall information that they don't know, intelligent people can use it to enhance their own problem solving abilities further. Technology today results in a net gain for everyone, allowing us to use our time more efficiently. For example, a scientist in a specialized field can access information about past findings much more easily than in the past, allowing him more time to do his research. For a more practical example, instead of looking up a phone number in the phone book, one can just go to yellowpages.com and find the same information much more quickly, allowing them to use their time for something else.
ReplyDeletePeter Kennedy - I agree with your point that intelligent people specifically use technology wisely and to enhance their intelligence and life. Technology gives people many opportunities to do many different things. For example, technology helps businesses grow or start, technology helps people with research and learning about any topic, and it is convenient and efficient for many aspects of one's life. But, as intelligent people use technology to their advantage, many lazy and less intelligent people use technology as a crutch and it, in turn, holds them back in society.
DeleteTechnology has the power to be positive and is in many cases but I don't think anything can be 100% positive or negative. Technology brings people power and unfortunately there are people who abuse the power to hurt themselves and others. That being said, I think technology is definitely more positive in society
Chris Roberts, I think you brought up an interesting point. Times have changed, and society does not need to do things like we used to do, like you said, remembering account numbers. However, I still believe that technology is not 100% a good thing. What happens if for some far-fetched reason, technology no longer works? Society could not perform daily tasks, because of their dependency on technology.
DeleteChristina Madsen - Considering Socrates looked down upon the development of writing, I believe that he would be disappointed in how dependent our generation has become on modern technology. Unfortunately, today people do not have the need to store as much information as people once needed to. I do agree that this is preventing our brains from exercising to their full capabilities. Most people seem to take for granted all of the technological resources we have at hand and I think this is making people lazy. Although technology makes life so much easier and has become a vital part of our society, I think it could be dangerous to be too dependent upon technology. However, I can not imagine how we could prevent people from being dependent on technology since technology has just become a part of our everyday lives. Based on how little information I know now compared to when I was younger, I have a feeling future generations will be even worse. For example, I barely remember anyone's birthday anymore since I just rely on Facebook to remind me.
ReplyDeleteChristina, I completely agree. If our generation is considered lazy, because we rely so much on technology to get us through our day to day activities. What will happen to future generations to come? It is a frightening thought.
DeletePeter Kennedy - I believe Socrates would not be happy with technology's current role in society. Many people, especially in teen and younger generations, use technology as a crutch to just get by in life. The internet and different technologies have a number of positive and advantageous aspects. But, there are different types of people in the world. People, like your father who remember directions after just one or two trips to a place and others who will need a GPS every time. Despite GPS making it easy to find where a place is, there are still many people who pay attention to detail and don't rely on technologies. One thing I like about technology is how it helps you connect with many people. Things like Facebook and twitter can help people connect with more people on a deeper level. That being said, these technologies should not replace seeing others in person (I don't think Socrates would like that) and ideally they do not hurt others social skills but obviously in some cases they do.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has the power to be a great benefit to society but will never be able to be considered 100% good or bad. I believe right now technology is definitely a positive thing and will continue to be good. Technology seems to always be advancing and seems to be heading in the right direction. If people continue to use technology to enhance intelligence, research, relationships, and etc... I think this ideal situation where people use technology like this would be a good thing even in Socrates' eyes.
Steve Colonnello - I agree with your views and ideas about technology. Socrates would not be happy with how we have come to rely on technology so much. But as you said not everyone that uses technology relies on it. For example the person that uses the GPS to guide them but still pays attention to the route and learns how to get to the destination on their own. But if a person uses technology just to get by or relies on it completely, it would be hurting the persons ability to think which is why Socrates could see technology as a negative thing in society.
DeleteTechnology is amazing. We have graphing calculators that automatically solve any mathematical equation. We have spell check, which is a program that proof reads everything we write, and corrects our grammar and spelling mistakes. We also have the internet which provides information for instantaneous use. If one were to truly think about it, today’s society does not need to know basic algebra; a student just needs to type the numbers of the problem into the calculator, and a solution will appear. A person does not need to learn how to spell words, because a person could sound the word out to the best of his ability, and spellcheck would find the correct spelling. A person doesn’t even need to know how to research information, typing their question into google, or asking Siri will do the trick. As technology has benefited us, it has also hurt our society. The problem is that society is not retaining the information technology gives them. They don’t remember the correct spelling to words, nor do they remember the information they learned. Technology has instilled the message to society, that just knowing basic information is perfectly okay; a computer will do the rest. Socrates believed that reading books, would damage society because society would “cease to exercise their memory and become forgetful." In today’s society, it is rare to find individuals who go to the library to do research, or learn information on a new topic. Especially, since we have the internet. If one were to do so, they would be praised, but also ridiculed, because no one does research anymore, without the internet. Socrates would be in shock if he saw what the minds of society have become.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Socrates was worried about books? He would be grateful to see people reading books now with the technology we have. I think his issue with relying on other sources for learning is that we don't think for ourselves. We don't come up with our own philosophies or opinions. It is weird because technology benefits us so much and makes our lives simpler and yet it constricts our ability to learn at the same time.
DeletePatrick Roberts-- It is evident that technology has allowed our generation to do things our ancestors never could have dreamed of. We can know anything about everything within a split second. Considering Socrates frowned upon the development of reading and writing, I believe he would not support the technologically advanced world we have come to know. Despite how much I love my Iphone and my ability to Google whatever I want to know, I do agree with Socrate's mindset that advancements in reading and writing(technology in our case), have made us ignorant to everything around us. We have become so used to relying on devices such as an iPhone and GPS to provide us with information that people once had to know/ figure out how to do without the help of technology. While I am a big advocate of technology and the advancements we have made over the years, I also fear that people will become so dependent on technology that they will not be able to complete everyday tasks without its help.
ReplyDeleterishi pimpariya- Also being a big advocate of technology, I also agree with your last point. I feel that people are slowly becoming more and more dependent of technology that soon they may no longer be able to do simple tasks by themselves. For example, on tests to do simple addition people may take out calculators to solve it.
DeleteKevin Rafferty-This is a very good point, it is scary how dependent people are on their phones and Gps's and such. I think people are becoming so much more helpless, and also so caught up in the rush of getting instant information, that we do not stop to learn the benefits of critical thinking and figuring things out by ourselves.
DeleteIf Socrates thought that reading and writing was a bad thing, then they is no way he would have been fond of the technology that is present in the modern world. Obviously Socrates won't come to know the world as it is today; however, I believe that the best representation we could get of what Socrates' reaction would be is from that of our grandparents and parents. It just so happened that three decades ago, Iphones and much of the Internet didn't exist yet. This left most people to find answers to questions on there own. They worked harder and their brains were sharp; they could remember things and give directions of locations without a GPS system. However, much of the older generations have assimilated into the technology age: they now have Iphones and GPS systems and can answer questions faster and find locations without a hassle. Technology, I believe, does not have an affect on the human mind. Just because there is an easier way of doing something doesn't mean that our minds will lose intelligence because it. It will be a persons decision if they want to become smarter and more intelligent, not the use of technology, that will decide if the human mind stays as sharp as the many minds before it. If that person has a desire and a goal to acquire the knowledge necessary to reach where they need to go, why shouldn't technology help in that quest?
ReplyDeleteI agree with our response that technology does not make our minds duller. But rather that it is the person decision of whether or not to become a more intelligent person. However, I would further add that technology also facilitates our learning process by making general knowledge easily available to us. This allows us to focus learning on specific knowledge that would have with technology been much more difficult to learn.
DeleteRishi pimpairya-I agree with our response that technology does not make our minds duller. But rather that it is the person decision of whether or not to become a more intelligent person. However, I would further add that technology also facilitates our learning process by making general knowledge easily available to us. This allows us to focus learning on specific knowledge that would have with technology been much more difficult to learn.
DeleteRishi Pimpariya- If Socrates was alive today and swathe numerous benefits from technology, he may change his mind and condone the use to it, but only at moderate use. For example, the invention of the book, which he said would cease to exercise our mind, is now a vital form of transferring information. So, seeing that his prior judgment on books turned out to be wrong, it may give him reason to actually trust the benefits of technology. Furthermore, with the advent of advanced technology people are able to know less general knowledge and more specific information pertaining to their job niche. As a result, this increases the productivity and efficiency of workers and our society. In fact, the example of people using phones to find who the presidents of the United States were a perfect example. It is trivial knowledge, unless it relates to their field or something they take interest in, and therefore, they needn’t have to know it. It However, Socrates would also argue that it should be used in moderation and only when needed. For example, the addictive use of technology from the younger generation is something he would argue against.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with your point about how the advances in technology have allowed us to become more productive in our own niche of work, and thus more productive. And while I do think that this is a positive benefit, I also think that especially the younger generation is becoming slightly less well rounded. Because of this technology we are losing vital skills like learning directions in favor of the convenience of simply typing the directions into our GPS. With the good comes the bad.
DeleteKevin Rafferty-I do agree with your point about how the advances in technology have allowed us to become more productive in our own niche of work, and thus more productive. And while I do think that this is a positive benefit, I also think that especially the younger generation is becoming slightly less well rounded. Because of this technology we are losing vital skills like learning directions in favor of the convenience of simply typing the directions into our GPS. With the good comes the bad.
DeleteKevin Rafferty- I think that Socrates would be so appalled to see the way humanity has changed and become so dependent on technology for answers. I think that we have in a sense made our minds lazier with all the instant information available at our fingertips. I am a perfect example of this with the example mentioned in the question- directions. My parents constantly make fun of me for the fact that I am unable to get to places that I have been to countless times without a GPS, or that I do not know the names of streets and highways. I never had to, so I never learned. That is what people have started to do in recent generations, we don't NEED to learn things, so we just don't bother to. And while I think that technology does allow us access to more information that we can learn, the problem is we simply choose not to for the same reason that it is always available.
ReplyDeleteSteve Colonnello - I agree with you that Socrates would be appalled to see how people today have become so dependent on technology for answers. I agree we have made our minds lazier if we rely on technology without even thinking critically about the solution before we use it. I believe almost everyone is guilty of using technology for the short cut or easy answer without challenging the mind. People would have an extremely difficult time learning a sixteen digit code or phone number of a couple of friends because we rely on technology. I also believe Socrates would dislike technology because it has shifted more time being spent on social media and entertainment than studying and learning for students today.
DeleteI agree with you to an extent; Socrates would not like how our society leans on technology like a crutch. However I believe that as a whole, our generation is learning more than the generations before us. Because there is no need to memorize trivial things like directions and phone numbers it has allowed the material we learn in school to become much harder. I constantly hear from my parents and relatives how they never had to learn certain things at such a young age. Subjects like calculus and physics are being introduced to students at much younger ages these days partly because technology frees up space in the brain.
DeleteI think it is obvious that Socrates would be disappointed overall in our reliance on technology as our source of information. He would applaud the fact that it helps us learn but despise the fact that we aren't actually learning when we have to google something that we won't remember the next day. Our society has moved away from reading and learning about individual topics because whenever we want to know something we go straight to wikipedia. Why read about the Olympics when NBC will fill us in? They leave something out? Siri will have the answer. I personally take pride in random bits of knowledge, such as directions. When I find something interesting I want to learn about I take the time to read the wiki page about that certain topic. I think Socrates would be proud of those that still take the time to learn and encourage technology in that way.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned that when you want to learn something interesting, you invest your time in reading a Wikipedia article about it and try to commit it to memory. Technology can be a great source of information and actually encourage learning when someone has the intention of learning. Of course, for people who have no desire to remember facts they can rely on the internet as a crutch but the internet’s existence and convenience doesn’t prevent people who truly want to learn from learning.
DeleteI believe that Socrates would be impressed with the many technological advances society has made today but would be disappointed in the loss of intellectual abilities lost by the average person because of technology. Socrates would not be proud of the fact that so many people are reliant on such tools as spell check. Spell check has essentially made it obsolete to learn how to spell most words because while typing, it will correct a word for you. Of course a person needs to know the differences between to, two and too. With this said, technology when used properly can allow people to gain access to information they may not otherwise be able to learn. In my opinion, Socrates would look down on those who use technology because of they are lazy but he would also appreciate technology when it is used to enhance a person's intellectual well being.
ReplyDeleteEvan Edelman - I really like that last part you said. I'm really on board with the idea that the easy access to information could be a good thing, and I agree with your statement that he would take notice in how it could be beneficial in enhancing a person's intellectual well being. That being said, he would still be such a grumpy old man
DeleteSteve Colonnello - I believe Socrates would think all the technology we have today is hurting the way we think. If he thought books and writing would make us ignorant, he would also believe that technology is. For example, machines like google can generate answers for us without even having us think the slightest bit. This is definitely taking from thought processes that strengthen the mind and the way we think. I don’t believe Socrates would necessarily think it is the technology that is the problem. I believe he would think it is the way we come to rely on the technology. If we used technology to check definitions of words while reading to understand the text and build our vocabulary, Socrates would view technology as beneficial. But if we use technology to solve problems without even stopping to think critically about the solution, then he would view the use of technology as detrimental our minds. Socrates would view the correct use of technology to be beneficial, but he would think the way we have come to rely on it is bad and weakening our minds and ability to think.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Socrates would not approve of the use of technology. However, I believe that he would not think it would be beneficial either. He believed that reading books and writing would become more of a problem down the line, so imagine how he would feel about computers and Iphones. I also agree that people may be becoming to reliant on technology and its the person, not the human mind, that chooses to use it or not.
DeleteI really like your idea that its not technology that is hurting us but the way we use it. I agree that we have become too dependent on how easy it is to access information. The advancement of technology needs to happen in order to allow our society to grow. However as long as we can sustain this growth there might never be a need for old learning habits to become relevant again. Society as a whole has simply outgrown traditional methods of learning.
DeleteRenee Waldron- I agree with that Socrates would be “disappointed in the loss of intellectual abilities lost by the average person because of technology”. Come to think of it if I am writing an essay and there is a word I can not spell sometimes I would type the incorrect spelling and let spell check without even trying. Technology has made us lazy and am sad to say I am living proof.
DeleteEvan Edelman - Considering how technologically advanced we are today, I think Socrates would be shocked. Of course technology today is miles and miles ahead of what any Greek could ever imagine. That being said, I'm sure that once Socrates got over the whole electricity thing he would see technology and our easy access to information as somewhat of a bad thing, however I would like to think that he would be able to see some benefit in the multitude of mediums as well. Though maybe it goes against what he sees as "smarter," I think he would acknowledge that because of technology, we could even be more in touch with the world around us because of our easy access to information. I think Socrates would probably be like all other old people and be more concerned that technology is taking away our ability to hold face to face conversations...but of course, I don't really know Socrates all that well.
ReplyDeleteNobody really knows Socrates that well, but we can assume what we would have thought from the research from anthropologists and sociologists. If Socrates thought reading and writing would disrupt the human mind, imagine what he would have thought with the technology we have today. He would be in shock and awe, according to the research many have found on his bio. I agree with the elder citizens comparison because times were much different back then and many say it was harder to make a living without all the computers today.
DeleteIf Socrates “bemoaned the development of writing” because it causes people to rely too much on the written word, then I feel it’s pretty obvious he would bemoan the invention of a tiny device that fits in your pocket which can instantaneously provide you with more information than you could possibly ever need. But today’s technology is more than just a source of information, it allows people around the world to share ideas and debate various topics with each other, not unlike what this class is doing right now. I feel that Socrates would appreciate this aspect of technology because, if I remember correctly, he often spent his days debating his ideas with people who disagreed with him. Also honestly how important is it remember a 16 digit account number? Personally, I feel that technology and the internet have the potential to make people “smarter” because we have instant access to anything we might want to learn. For example, my dad built a computer this past year with no training other than YouTube videos. But, of course, technology also has the potential to make people too complacent with retaining information. I believe it all depends on how technology is utilized by an individual.
ReplyDeleteOlivia Deering - I like the way that you drew a connection between communication online and Socratic seminars. Viewed through this lens, it seems pretty certain that Socrates would have to respect at least some of our ways of using technology. What you say about technology helping people be "smarter" reminds me a little of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (which argues that people who aren't bogged down with the task of meeting their basic needs are better able to engage in pursuits that require higher thinking and creativity). Technology, in freeing us from having to spend so much time committing tedious facts to memory, frees us to devote our time to other endeavors. Whether or not everyone uses that extra time wisely is another matter, but it's an interesting thought all the same.
DeleteOlivia Deering - I think that if Socrates were able to see the accomplishments that have been made as a result of the invention of writing, he might be hesitant to condemn other technologies before enough time passes for there to be a clear answer as to whether the effects will do more to hurt or help humanity. He'd certainly be suspicious of modern technology, but I don't know that he would be so quick to dismiss our entire way of life. He's still renowned for his wisdom, so it seems likely that he'd be able to appreciate the fact that the world is too full of information for any one person to absorb in entirety, and that technology is necessary in order for us to keep it all within our grasp. Again, I doubt that he`d wholeheartedly embrace our lack of self-reliance, but he'd almost certainly have to acknowledge the benefits as well as the drawbacks.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that Socrates would see both the advantages and disadvantages of modern technology. If he bemoaned reading because it would cause people to be too reliant on the written word, he would likely also say that today people are too reliant on the information available on our phones. But also the world has changed so much since Socrates’ day that he would probably be amazed at all the discoveries people have made since.
DeleteTim D’Armiento- I think that if Socrates were here in today’s world he would be very intrigued and interested as well as fascinated as to how far technology has developed in the time since Ancient Greece. After Socrates realize the dependence on technology though, it would bring him right back to when he said that if people rely too much on books it will hinder their ability to exercise their minds and use their memories. When your are able to just reference something or look something up to answer a question presented to you, there is not as much brain involvement and you’re really no getting smarter by doing that. There is no need for college students in today’s world to remember phone numbers of people they meet because their phone does it for them. Now, that is why a college student today can’t live without their phone for practically a whole day (I know I can’t). The reliance on technology to answer all the questions we have and to get us from point A to point B reduces our brain activity and is not getting us any smarter. Socrates would definitely be stunned by how society is the same way he predicted it to be over 2000 years ago.
ReplyDeleteRenee Waldron- Just like everything else I think that there are advantages and disadvantages that go with technology. Personally, i believe if Socrates was here today he would think our technology advancements are impressive. We live in a generation that is constantly immerse with technology in ways that affects us socially and mentally. Technology has become such an intricate part in our every day lives. Technology has impacted humanity in a way that many of us are unaware. For example, Nuclear Energy is a power source that provides electricity to cities and electric gadgets and appliances. This discovery is positive for humanity because it helps humanity and improves their lifestyle economically, socially. But however, this discovery is proven to have side effects. Fukushima Power Plant is a perfect example of the side effects of Nuclear Energy. Due to the Earthquake that struck Japan, the power plant suffered a nuclear meltdown, that caused high levels of radiations. This is just one example of how technology can seem positive but could have a negative effect as well.
ReplyDelete