Dylan Madden. Dr. Brian Henderson. English 201. 16 March

The article, “Robots on Earth” by Jerry West, explains that although robots may be evil in movies and books, they help us more than people may think. In the article, West discusses how the opinions of the media are quite different than the jobs that real robots perform. Humans have many difficult jobs that must be done for the good of the population, which is why we have robots to complete these tasks. Chores such as welding, and working in factories harm our health; so, robots do these jobs to keep us safe. Robots in space may do simple missions so that astronauts can focus on more important duties. Also, astronauts use robotic equipment; such as treadmills; to stay healthy while in space. Other robots are used for people with disabilities

In his 2011 The Chronicle Review article “Programmed for Love” Jeffrey R. Young interviews Professor Sherry Turkle about her experience with what she calls “sociable robots”. Turkle has spent 15 years studying robotics and its social emergence into society. After extensive research and experimenting with the robots, she believes that soon they will be programmed to perform specific tasks that a human would normally do. While this may seem like a positive step forward to some people, Turkle fears the worst. The article states that she finds this concept “demeaning, ‘transgressive,’ and damaging to our collective sense of humanity.” (Young, par. 5). She accredits this to her personal and professional experience with the robots. Turkle and her

At work, people are claiming to be too busy on their devices to be able to have conversations. In fact, they do not want to have the face to face interaction, but would “rather just do things on [their] blackberry” (136). Moreover, a “sixteen-year-old boy who relies on texting for almost everything says wistfully, ‘Someday, someday, but certainly not now, I’d like to learn how to have a conversation’” (136). The reliance on technology has increased significantly and the necessity for conversation has pivoted. A teenage boy confesses that he feels more comfortable talking to an “artificial intelligence program” (138) about dating instead of his own father. Similarly, many people want “Siri, the digital assistant on Apple’s iPhone, [to become] more advanced, [because] ‘she’ will be more and more like a best friend” (138). Robots are being given more credit for comforting humans than humans themselves. Not only are the younger generations thinking this, but also the elders. When Turkle brought a baby seal robot to a nursing home, an elder woman began to speak to it and feel comforted by it. It is a tragedy that humans are feeling a deeper connection with robots than other humans. Humans have the experiences and the feelings that the robots are not capable of having. Hence, there is confusion about the difference between conversation and

The increased development of artificial intelligence and the everyday use of technology can lead to a future full of robots, claims Eastlyn Koons in Robots are Better than Humans. Koons lives in the modern day where advancements are being made every day in the field of technology and artificial intelligence machines have started to replace the jobs of some people. People fear the uprising of robot rebellion and an inevitable Doomsday because of it. Through appeals to fear and pride, Koons asks the world to consider the use of technology in their lives and the role it may play in the future.

“Just as the sun will rise tomorrow morning, so too will robots in our society.” Frank Mullin accurately explains the growing role of robot pets worldwide. Robot pets, are the adorable synthetic toys, that warm the hearts of thousands with their almost life-like movements. Once just a thought and a dream, robot pets now grace the shelves of department stores. Along with their wide popularity comes a question; “Should robotic pets replace real pets?” Well, they interact differently, and are frankly just programmed to do what one sees. Allowing robotic pets is depriving people of the interactions they experience with real pets, and does not nourish responsibility. For now, robotic pets should be left on the shelves because they will never provide

In a world that continues to advance technologically machines titled “sociable robots” acquire life-like characteristics once exclusive to humans. They are able to express artificial emotions that seem real to the user. In “Alone Together” by Sherry Turkle we see how sociable robots interact with children. They begin to feel emotions that were once exclusive to human interaction. In the narrative “An Army of One: Me” by Jean Twenge we see how prominent the generation gap is. Those under the age of thirty-five tend to focus more on themselves and making sure they feel worthy. Twenge appropriately titles this generation as “Generation Me,” highlighting the fact that boosts of “self-esteem” leads to a rise in individualistic focus. Parents expose their children to toys that industries manufacture to fill the emotional needs children have at a young age. This consequently decreases the need for human interaction. As technology develops and become more “alive,” researchers are able to find what children desire and are able to give those desires to them in a toy. These new toys shape how children think and grow, directly affecting them for their entire lives. By changing the notions of aliveness, sociable robots “cultivate” behaviors representative of Generation Me by manipulating values important to one’s well-being through their expression of life-like emotions and behaviors.

In The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander is about a shocking statistic. That more African American men are in correctional facilities or on probation than were enslaved in the mid 1800s before the Civil war started. She offers her perspective on the mass incarceration of African American men in the US. Taking shots at all she holds responsible for the issues. She explores the social and systematic influence of racial stereotypes and policies that support incarceration of minorities. She explains that minorities are discriminated against legally for their whole  lives. By being denied employment, housing, education, and public benefits. Unable to overcome said obstacles most will

The Holocaust was the systematic and bureaucratic murder of six million Jews by the Nazi party and its collaborators. During the era of the Holocaust, German authorities targeted many groups of people because of their perceived "racial inferiority" including Gypsies, the disabled, and some of the Slavic peoples. Other groups were persecuted on political, ideological, and behavioral grounds. Several authors have written about the Holocaust, but one author that touched many people the most was Elie Wiesel. Through the use of several style devices, Wiesel creates an impressionistic style which reflects the nature of his experiences in the Nazi

There are many different topics in the world that split people’s opinions. Some stronger than others. These views and opinions are often swayed by one’s political views, and one of the biggest topics that sparks controversy are the rights of all people. Some of the bigger groups are Black Lives Matter and feminists. While these are very big and prominent, the one that sparks the most controversy is the LGBT community, and one of the biggest claims they make is that they don’t have the same rights of marriage as straight people. The LGBT community have protests and parades to try to spread the message that homosexuals should have the same rights of

With every job, there is going to be a certain monotony that goes with it, repeating tasks that are very similar in nature. Ability to complete these tasks accurately is a vital part in being successful in, and for that matter, keeping, your job. For nursing, the day to day tasks can affect people’s lives and well-being. Along with skills needed to be an RN, there are lots of responsibilities that go along with being

Within The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne uses symbolism, “the use of symbols to represent ideas” (Bell 10), affluently. The amount of symbolism Hawthorne uses could lead some to believe that The Scarlet Letter is in fact an allegory. Nearly every object in Hawthorne’s novel is symbolic. Hawthorne uses everyday objects and places to symbolize many main themes, concepts, and ideas in the lives of Hester and Pearl as well as multiple other main characters.

Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. However in this case, Fear is the avoidance or put off of something because one is afraid. Considering modern day society’s oppression, fear is in fact our worst enemy, which is evident through our focuses on success rather than failure and by the inspirational experiences of failure. In order for they’re to be success in ones’ life, there must be backbreaking failures and barriers to overcome.

The Veldt shows that neglecting the children and letting the robots do all the work and have some serious effects of raising children with robots. In the text, there is this quote: “You’ve let this room and this

Lately there have been more and more smart machines that have been taking over regular human tasks but as it grows the bigger picture is that robots will take over a lot of tasks now done by people. But, many people think that there are important ethical and moral issues that have to be dealt with this. Sooner or later there is going to be a robot that will interact in a humane manner but there are many questions to be asked like; how will they interact with us? Do we really want machines that are independent, self-directed, and has affect and emotion? I think we do, because they can provide many benefits. Obviously, as with all technologies, there are dangers as well. We need to ensure that people always

Although Nidhi Subbaraman delivers a convincing argument within his article My Robot Friend: People Find Real Comfort in Artificial Companionship, it is not compelling. Throughout the article Subbaraman introduces Paro, a seal-shaped robot, to elderly adults who suffer from mental illnesses such as advanced dementia. Over a twelve week research study, watching how forty elderly adults interacted with Paro the results were that these candidates became less lonely with Paro than without him (Subbaraman).