Subject: Discussion Summary #1: Communications Technology and Personal Identity
From: Leslie Henrickson (lhenrick@ucla.edu)
Date: Fri 05 May 2000 - 14:53:04 MEST
Date: Fri, 05 May 2000 05:53:04 -0700 From: Leslie Henrickson <lhenrick@ucla.edu> Subject: Discussion Summary #1: Communications Technology and Personal Identity
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There are three provocative themes from the recent posts:
1. paradigm shifts in systems thinking about technology and personal identity
2. the relationship between evolutionary and cultural change
3. technology is ecological
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Overall, the posts seemed to focus on big picture ideas of how best to
theoretically frame the questions and how best to characterize the changes
that may or may not occur. There were few anecdotes or few detailed
particular examples of how personal identity has or hasn't been changed.
1. Paradigm shifts and theory were discussed
One, many of the posts made reference to philosophers, mathematicians,
scientists, writers involved in systems type thinking. (for example, see
Kort post of 5/2 and Abeles post of 5/1) The posts were grappling with big
picture scenarios to frame the questions on communications technology and
personal identity.
Two, we are shifting from a rule-based system to a model-based system and
this shift has profound effects on our world view. (See Kort post of 5/2)
2. Evolutionary and cultural change in relationship to time were discussed
in two ways.
One, any observed technological changes in character does not indicate
evolutionary events are occurring. (See Betz post 5/1) This is because
evolution takes too long for the rapid technological changes to effect it.
Two, the notion of "evolution" requiring generations is viewed as a
construct, or that it was socially constructed. (See Abeles post of
5/2) There are other ways to evolve that don't take the time Darwin
proposed. Therefore, there may be ways to speed up species, cultural and
by implication personal identity.
The speed of our communications technologies may be implicated in the
potential changes to species, culture and personal identity. (further
reference: Paul Virilio, French philosopher, theorizes on speed,
technology and society. As well, Marshall McLuhan has written on the speed
of communications technology in relation to the senses.)
3. Technology is ecological was discussed in two ways.
It was discussed from the perspective of the computer acquiring more human
like characteristics. (See Betz post of 5/1) Normally, technology as
ecological is viewed as technology changing the environment. In this
post, technology is ecological in a reverse sense, that humans have an
impact on the development of a computer's "personal identity" since
computers increasingly have more human-like capabilities.
It was discussed from the Neil Postman point of view that our technologies
change the environment. (See Leamnson post of 5/2 ) One effect is on
literacy and the learning environment, students are adept at finding
information but do not actually read what they've found. And, the
relationship was discussed from the biological point of view. (See Betz
post of 5/2)
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