When I think of my life and the experiences thus far that have nurtured and shaped who I understand myself to be, I draw from the rich memories that have been defining moments to my growing process. Yet in many ways, the technological shift toward the way in which we obtain and process information through the use of the internet and cellular devices has altered my ability to not only recall memories and information but relive them at the push of a button. I not only am able to search any burdening inquiry I have with extreme agility and nominal effort, but I can also capture and store a photograph or video of a specific memory without the hassle of mental exercise.
As a society we have attuned our minds from active information seekers to passive information receivers, outsourcing the role of our memory for the sake of instant gratification with minimal cognitive exertion (Coughlan). This not only affects how we develop memories and learn but begs to question the necessity and value of the innate human right to free thought and its impact as a fundamental role of the human experience.
As the continued reliance on immediate knowledge provided by the internet further cultivates a new cognitive understanding on how we know seek and utilize information, the social systems that have long since prevailed must recalibrate to our deviation. This can be seen
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Our evolution to all knowing beings many seemingly be commendable and merely the next step in our reign of dominance over all facets of existence, however, even favorable adaptations can have detrimental repercussions. This social problem calls for direct, immediate action as innate human expression and our ability to derive meaning from existence, such as from religion, art, virtue, science, and even the intimate relationships we have with one another, are at
Foer, on the other hand, makes the claim that our society’s ability to remember has slowly dwindled by means of outsourcing of ourselves. “Today, when we live in a deluge of printed words” we have no need to remember everything when we have tools that do it for us (164). We have phones that remember people’s names, addresses, and phone numbers. We have GPS systems that make remembering routes a thing of the past.
When discussing the impact of memory on daily life, Foer explains that “the average person squanders about forty days a year compensating for things he or she has forgotten… everyday there seems to be more to remember…with a memory like Ben Pridmore’s I imagined life would be more qualitatively different--and better”(MWE page 7). This point highlights how important memory truly is. With a poor memory, we struggle with recalling even the simplest of observations and events. In addition, Foer uses confirmation to persuade the reader that having a good memory has positive effects on intelligence, noting that it would make him “…more persuasive, more confident, and in some fundamental sense smarter…” as well as a “better journalist, friend, and boyfriend”(MWE page 7). Finally, through Foer’s use of confirmation, we are brought to the realization that without memory, “our world would immediately crumble”(MWE page 19), especially in a situation where “all the world’s ink [becomes] invisible and all our bytes [disappear]”( MWE pade 19). Foer successfully defends his argument that without textual aids and external means of remembering information, we as a society would lose a vast amount of knowledge solely due to our inability to successfully retain memories. These three pieces of evidence effectively confirm Joshua Foers primary claim that memory is
In The Shallows by Nicholas Carr, he asserts that the evolution of information and communication technology (ICTs) is having a detrimental impact on our brains despite the many benefits and advances we have made with it. His main focus is on the internet which he commonly refers to as the “universal medium” (92). Carr presents a very detailed but biased argument in which he views the internet and other technologies as the adversary of critical thinking and progress. To Carr, we are sacrificing our ability to think logically because we are choosing the simpler way to gain knowledge.
Nicolas Carr debates that by allowing the internet to invade our “quiet spaces,” we will sacrifice ourselves (Carr,13). Philosopher, Rene Descartes, said “I Think, Therefore I am.” The idea of our ability to think as being part of our essence, as Descartes said, is established by Nicolas Carr. He presumes that the internet is robbing humans of their essence. Without the ability to think, we become the “artificial intelligence” (Carr,
This essay is an ethnographic study of Whole Foods Market which is located in Kensington, London. Whole Foods Market is a niche supermarket that sells high quality organic and natural products at high prices. In this essay, I will provide a brief orientation of ethics with regards to the concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility - macroethics and Business Ethics - microethics and the theoretical frameworks of consequentialism, deontology and virtue ethics. I will be using deontology framework in ethics devised by Immanuel Kant to assess if the marketing strategy and the products sold at Whole Foods Market support their principle of ‘organic and natural’.
The use of technology is debilitating our ability to think pensively. Carr demonstrates that relying on the internet reduces the use of our creativity flow in our brains. “The Web provides a convenient and a compelling supplement to personal memory - but when we start using the Web as a substitute for personal memory, by bypassing the inner processes of
Atlantic journalist Nicholas Carr confesses that he feels something has been “tinkering with his brain.” The internet, he fears, may be messing with our minds. We have lost the ability to focus on a simple task, and memory retention is steadily declining. He is worried about the effect the internet has on the human brain, and where it may take us in the future. In response to this article, Jamais Cascio, also a journalist for the Atlantic, provides his stance on the issue. He argues that this different way of thinking is an adaptation derived from our environment. Ultimately, he thinks that this staccato way of thinking is simply a natural evolution, one that will help to advance the human race.
In the articles, “How Facts Backfire” and “Is Google Making Us Stupid”, Keohane and Carr explain the cognitive blocks we are faced with in society. Keohane explains how we can be misinformed because of our beliefs. These beliefs can cloud our judgement of what is true and what isn’t true. Carr focuses on how the internet has changed the way we think. Carr includes how the internet can distract us, making tasks harder to complete. Both Keohane and Carr show us the negatives side effects of cognition.
The internet is ever changing, and so our minds, but can the internet mold our minds? Nicholas Carr and Michael Rosenwald support the idea that the reading we do online is making it harder to be able to sit down with a good book. In their papers they discuss the downfalls of using the web. While on the other hand author Clay Shirky challenges that thought in his piece. Shirky directly battles the idea that the internet is damaging our brains by suggesting that internet use can be insightful. In this essay I will evaluate all three articles and expose their strengths and weaknesses then add my own take on the situation.
Carr concludes his excerpt with the statement “I missed my old brain,” because he was once so active in his learning, but now with exposure to the internet he has become close to being the contrary. Successfully, does Carr create a stance on how the internet has had a negative impact on how a person thinks and learns, from trading away an “old linear thought process” in return “for the riches of the Net.” Also, Carr creates a point that if society continues in this new form of mind, everyone will become human HALs and turn rogue against
Though being exposed to technologies like computers from an early age may have given us the ability to do things more efficiently, technology has also made us less dependent on ourselves. Claudia Wallis, editor for Time, in her article makes known in The Multitasking Generation, “That level of multiprocessing and interpersonal connectivity is now so commonplace that it’s easy to forget how quickly it came about. Fifteen years ago, most home computers weren’t even linked to the Internet” (63). There are many things that students are able to do on their computer that their parents aren't even aware of or that the parents couldn’t do themselves. My parents always tell of how looking through the library’s card catalog and searching for the books they needed only to find out that they have been taken out. Computers have allowed us to do many things faster for example, write much faster than a typewriter or pen and paper and correct typing errors without starting over. The computers and technology we now have makes it easier to almost anything and with technology so easily at your fingertips it o...
According to Sternberg (1999), memory is the extraction of past experiences for information to be used in the present. The retrieval of memory is essential in every aspect of daily life, whether it is for academics, work or social purposes. However, many often take memory for granted and assume that it can be relied on because of how realistic it appears in the mind. This form of memory is also known as flashbulb memory. (Brown and Kulik, 1977). The question of whether our memory is reliably accurate has been shown to have implications in providing precise details of past events. (The British Psychological Association, 2011). In this essay, I would put forth arguments that human memory, in fact, is not completely reliable in providing accurate depictions of our past experiences. Evidence can be seen in the following two studies that support these arguments by examining episodic memory in humans. The first study is by Loftus and Pickrell (1995) who found that memory can be modified by suggestions. The second study is by Naveh-Benjamin and Craik (1995) who found that there is a predisposition for memory to decline with increasing age.
Lonegran states that being human means having an unlimited number of questions regarding life and the universe; in order to answer these questions many turn to religion. Religion has traditionally been a major force in humanity’s search for meaning. Religi...
The internet is shaping the way we think in more ways than one, and according to Carr (2008), it is suggests that the internet can lead to intellectual laziness. Depending on the internet as a source for information leads to an artificial intelligence. Carr also believes the media is always shaping how we think Carr (2008). Although Carr might not be the most credible due to his augment relying mostly on testimonial evidence, he has a good point. Imagine for a moment sitting in a class room and a professor asks a question. Some students will be right, and others will be wrong which leads to an opportunity for learning. However, if every student were to google the answer to that question each and every student would be correct. See the problem? With reliant use of the internet for information there is no room for creativity or learning.
Through evolution, one can then allow themselves to become more like a divine being. This topical explanation of Cosmic Humanism allows a faint portrait to be drawn of