What makes us humans? It is not just our physical body, but our conscious, the way we think, we feel and most importantly the freedom of choice. The evolution of humans dates back to thousands of years, according to scientists. However, are we the only ones to be considered humans or beings? Descartes proposed a new idea of what it is considered to be humans: “I think therefore I am.” It is the process of us thinking independently without relying on the ideas of others. It is our experiences that shape us and how we tend to interpret them.
Computer scientists, according to Lanier, argue that computers might be able in the near future to have the basic treatments as humans. Lanier rejects such argument. What makes us humans is our conscious. Computer scientists believe that a computer might be able to adapt such quality like a person. However, creating a super-being does not mean that we’re creating a being that is equally to a human. We’re creating a being that it only understands that it’s given or uploaded to its hard drive. This is when the idea of the Turing test comes to practice. How can we distinguish a person from a computer? While going through certain webpages, sometimes there is the CAPTCHA test. This test is to prove whether a person is the one accessing the web page or a computer. This leads to the loss of trust humans have created. The lack of trust has being increased because certain computers are making choices provided by its creator. They are not making it by their own, but the way they were program to do it. Humans, on the other hand, we have the freedom of choice. I can choose whether or not I want to eat the apple that I’m holding.
This is not the only problem we’re having with modern technology. As humans, we are losing our identity to such technological advancement. We have lost touch with the real world and have become subjects of an artificial world created by computers. This idea of computationalism discussed by Lanier is that humans are not just information systems. We are not just a web 2.0 program designed to do certain tasks or hold all the information given to us. We are known to be creative; creative in a specific way that a computer won’t be able to understand the differences between reality and programs. Yet, Lanier recognizes that computers have started to understand patterns and create its set of new language within its own system.
How does this entire can connect to philosophy? It is all by understanding the division that exists between humans and computers. Are machines capable enough to think, understand or be conscious? The ability to have intelligence is more than just the input and output that processes in the mind. Descartes explained that the sign of intelligence is the ability to understand language. Descartes’ “sign of intelligence” is not sufficient to actually mark a machine as intelligent. Machines are only capable of imitating certain human behaviors and their intelligence is limited. Machines are somewhat intelligent when they have are programmed; if not, then they are just like any other object. In class we discussed how Lanier might disagree with films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and I, Robot. There is also another novel called Galatea 2.2 that illustrates how a computer created by a computer scientist was able to interact with a person. . Both computers from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey and the book Galatea 2.2 are great examples of computers that have access to communicate with people, yet they lack their “own” intelligence. However, computers’ communication is genuinely two-way. This means that when computers do not understand when humans talk to them; it just takes human’s words as input and then, according to its program, produces certain sounds as output. A computer has a syntax but not semantics.
Finally, humans can identify who they are: self-identity. Computers are not self-aware; they don’t know who they are and where they come from. Lanier values more the characteristics of humans and our qualities. But there is the idea that quantity equals quality in software and the reason for this is the amount of time scientists spend creating the perfect computer. Then this will bring the idea of computers not making mistakes of their own because their program won’t allow them to.
your emphasis on self-identity here is excellent
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