The machine model has been around for centuries. 20th century philosopher Gilbert Ryle described the divided world (mind/spirit versus matter/machine) bequeathed to us by Descartes in 1650 as the ghost in the machine. Cultural discord between the old Church and new science forced the split, according to one theory. Problem is, how to get Humpty - D u m p t y back together again. Classical mechanics tells us we are nothing but matter explainable by deterministic, mechanical laws. The reason why Google, etc., is able to sell information is partly a confirmation of the mechanical model: our buying preferences stay the same, generally speaking, over time, and can be predicted. The use of the electronic technological application of this model is itself predictable. And likewise for the government application. The latter, I find disturbing.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 22:21:35 +0000
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