The Replacements

The Council's last session began by discussing the potential for things to be replaced by computers or "robots" (do we still call them robots? droids? androids?) and the Internet. First we thought for sure, that woman's womb could not be replaced. But then one of us said "cloning" and poof, the womb and the woman in some ways, had been replaced.

Okay, what else? We pressed on. Original ideas, could they be replaced? Someone said "artificial intelligence" and poof, our creativity had somehow lost its own originality. What else? Faith! Surely faith can't be replaced! We tried to imagine virtual faith...which ironically takes a lot of faith.

In all of our meetings we're brought back to the discussion of the good and the bad of this new technology. We agree that we're being given so much and don't yet understand what's being taken away from us in return. We wonder what detrimental things are being given to us...someone mentioned e-mail addiction which has become a very serious problem for some folks. One of us wondered if you can become allergic to the Internet. Another council member thought of our children using the technology as a new way bully others and spread negativity. And then comes to mind sixteen-year-old Emily Keyes, held hostage inside the Platte Canyon classroom and her text message to her family outside, "I love you guys."

We agree that one thing has not been replaced--sitting with someone in real time, in the same room, and conversing face-to-face. (Yes, we discussed web cams and conference calls and IMs and have determined that it's not the same form of direct human contact.) We agree that the human need for social contact has not been replaced, but has been both degraded and supplemented. We find ourselves in the realm of negative capability, the place where things are true and false at the same time.

We don't have a definitive answer, believing perhaps there isn't one. We're torn; we know this to be true. We cheer on this new world and wonder at its chances. One thing that's for sure is that we won't have to wait any time at all now for news of how we're doing. As soon as anything happens, news of it can be globalcast in seconds. Let's hope the thing is plugged in.

The last mobile blog post was much much faster to post. Take a look!
http://www.funwed349.blogspot.com/

N.B. As of May 3, 2007 all of the mobile blog posts have now been incorporated into this one.