Week 13 Homework- Transhumanism
PART A- REACTION QUESTIONS
Frankenstein initially reads like science fiction, though is more and more becoming a reality as we deal with intelligent machines in our everyday life.
What sort of operations can a machine perform that make it indistinguishable from a human?
Why would a machine never seem intelligent? What can a human do that a machine will never be able to do?
Over the course of the semester, we have studied some of the most famous literary and philosophic works about human nature. Reviewing the material we have studied, complete the following sentences:
“According to the Homeric warrior, the goal of life is…”
“According to Socrates in the Cave allegory, to escape the cave means…”
“Based on Jacob wrestling with God, the goal of life is…”
“According to Meursault, the goal of life is…”
After studying these works, which of these statements regarding human nature do you most agree with? Why?
Part B: Reading Questions
Read the short story by Harlan Ellison, which has been posted on Blackboard
Describe the living conditions of the surviving humans in the story
Explain what happens to the narrator on page 7 and what he concludes about why they are being tortured.
What are the characters searching for, from pages 9 to 11, and what happens when they get to their destination?
What happens to the narrator from pages 12 to 13? How does the ability to scream represent our humanity?
To complete the lecture component of this course, view the Spotlight Lecture in the Week 13 folder. Demonstrate by answering the following: Explain humanity’s relationship to God in the period of transhumanism.