Honors Summer Read 2016: The Rules of Engagement

"The Magdalen Reading" (1435-38) by Roger Van der Weyden

Welcome to the ECU Honors Program's Enduring Questions website!  If you are enrolled in an Enduring Questions class for the fall semester of 2016 at ECU (EQ1 or EQ3), this website is for you.  Read on!

Responses to questions on this website are designed to generate "virtual conversation." By virtual, we do not mean something that looks like conversation but isn't. Instead, we mean REAL conversation in a virtual environment--this website.  And this fall, incoming first- and second-year Honors students will be engaged in the same discussion. Ten percent of each student's grade in both EQ1 and EQ3 will be based on your responses to the questions raised here.

The sort of conversation we're looking for is academic in character. Thus, your responses should consist of clear, concise statements of your ideas crafted in standard English (not text-speak--some of us are old!). They should be long enough to convey your thoughts, but short enough for other readers to read and respond to fairly quickly. In short, you don't want your responses to be so long that you monopolize (or kill) the conversation by going on, and on, and on.....(we all know how irritating that can be!).

Obviously, responses should not use profanity. They should be civil and respectful. People do not always agree. Responses can be critical; however, all communication is expected to be courteous and professional. Contributor's positions may be questioned; their character should not.

The object here is to reflect on some of the issues raised by the text, to connect the reading to your personal experience, and to help first- and second-year Honors students get to know each other better.

When should I begin posting my responses?
As soon as you have read the opening pages of The Glass Cage.

When is this assignment due?
This writing assignment is designed to be completed before classes begin.  Details about where and how to account for and submit your word count total will be provided in class when the semester starts.

How many questions should I respond to?

We do not expect you to respond to each question, but you should respond to several representing different sections of the book.

How much should I write?

Your responses should add up to a sum total of not less than 750 words.  Don't try to load up all 750 words into one or two comments.  You should also respond to comments left by other readers. And pose questions to other readers. (Check back later to see if anyone has responded to your comments-and respond to their responses.)  All of this writing will count toward your word total.  Students are responsible for keeping track of their word total (you can cut and paste your responses into a Microsoft Word document, which has a word count feature).  This is not just a writing assignment, though; it's a reading assignment, too.  Every student is responsible for reading every word of the assigned text.

Where do I post my responses?
At the bottom of each question post, you will find a "comment" link. If it has a "0" beside it, that means no one has commented yet; as more people comment, the number will go up. (Click here to see a list of all the chapters that have questions associated with them.) When you're ready to weigh in, click on the "comments" button, read any previous comments, and start writing. Please sign your posts. And use your real name--not a nickname--so we can get to know each other).

More questions?
E-mail us at sbenton@ecok.edu!

Engaging The Glass Cage

In this post, you will find links to about several question sets about Nicholas Carr's 2014 work of non-fiction, The Glass Cage: How Computers are Changing Us. These question sets are organized by chapter and are listed in the order in which the issues they address are raised by the text.

There's also a sandbox where you can raise own questions about the text that are not covered elsewhere (and answer those posed by others).  There's also other good stuff that doesn't directly lead to a question but that may enrich your engagement with the material.

Once you've started reading the chapters listed below (don't skip the introduction!), click on the links, read the corresponding questions and comments other readers may have left (click on the "comment" button beneath each post to see them), and then join the discussion (or initiate it).

There is only one question you are required to answer.  That's the last one, referred to here as "The Takeaway." Don't answer it until you've finished reading the book.

Chapter One: Passengers

Questions: 1a, 1b

Chapter Two: The Robot at the Gate

Questions: 2a, 2b, 2c

Chapter Three: On Autopilot

Questions: 3a, 3b

Chapter Four: The Degeneration Effect

Questions: 4a, 4b

Chapter Five: White-Collar Computer

Questions: 5a, 5b

Chapter Six: World and Screen

Questions:  6a, 6b

Chapter Seven: Automation for the People

Questions: 7

Chapter Eight: Your Inner Drone

Questions: 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d

Interlude with a Grave Robber

Question

Chapter Nine: The Love that Lays the Swale in Rows

Question: 9

The Sandbox

The Takeaway

1a. The Value of Mindlessness

"Portrait of an Artist: Pool with Two Figures" (1971) by David Hockney

Carr notes that "People are mindful; computers are mindless. But when it comes to performing demanding tasks, whether with the brain or the body, computers are able to replicate our ends without replicating our means" (11).

Would you agree that if we can build computers that can perform demanding tasks faster and more efficiently that human can perform them, we should do it, so that human beings can dedicate themselves to performing tasks that require a "mindfulness" the computers can never have?  If so, what kinds of mindful tasks should be left to human beings?

Alternatively, should "mindfulness" even be the ultimate human goal? Couldn't you say that "mindfulness" is usually accompanied by worry and anxiety?  Don't most people prefer "mindless" entertainment to entertainment that requires work on the part of the audience? Wouldn't we all be happier if we could lead lives unencumbered by the worry and anxiety that comes with "mindfulness"?  As you are thinking about these questions, ask yourself if you'd rather be doing something mindless like lying on a beach, playing a video game, watching a TV show, etc.  Or look at the image of among and ask yourself if you'd rather be the swimmer or the "mindful" man watching the swimmer?

1b. The Joys of Labor

"Modern Times" (1936) directed by Charles Chaplin

Carr cites psychologists who have found we are generally afflicted with miswanting--"we're inclined to desire things we don't like and to like things we don't desire" (15). Specifically, Carr is concerned that when we automate labor, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to experience flow, the satisfying absorption into a task.

When do you experience flow? What kinds of work have you relegated to machines? Is a reduction in the pleasure of labor a significant loss that we should try to restore?

2a. Team Mind

"Philosopher in Meditation (1632) by Rembrandt 

One assumption underlying the drive toward automation is that "the imaginative work of the mind [is] inherently superior to the productive labor of the body" (25).

Is intellectual and creative work a higher endeavor? Does relegating monotonous, physically demanding labor to machines free us to pursue more important, more sophisticated, more fulfilling goals? Does it bring humans closer to our highest potential?

2b. Careers in food service

"Looking Weighed-Down:

The Appearance Of A Waitress At Fukagawa In The Tempo Era"

by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Carr cites a study by David Autor, an MIT economist, that claims the because of new information technology, there is "an abundance of work to do in food service and there is an abundance of work in finance, but there are fewer middle-wage, middle-income jobs" (32).

How might technology affect the careers you are considering? Could it make the kind of work that you do more efficient?  Could it make jobs more scarce?

2c. The Machine that Programs

"The Bus Driver" (1962) by George Segal

Technological advancements have allowed machines to replace not only manual human labor but also, increasingly, jobs that rely on calculation, judgment, communication, and even learning. From a capitalist perspective, machine work is more desirable because it increases productivity and decreases cost--computers don't take sick days, ask for raises, or complain about working conditions. But Carr observes that replacing humans with computers can lead to an increased disparity in wealth and power that comes with a reduction in middle-wage jobs. What problems arise when "power concentrates with those who control the programming"? To what extent do we adjust our own behaviors and skills to the machines we rely on to work for us?

3a. Better for Me? Or better for the world?

"Unemployed" (1891) by Ferdinand Hodler

Is our concern about the increased power of machines largely based on self-interest?

Does technological advancement pose a real danger, or are we merely worried that our individual work will be replaced and that we will be made redundant?

3b. Let's Fly!

Carr cites multiple examples of crashes that can be attributed to "deskilling" of flight crews who rely too heavily on autopilot (55). However, he also acknowledged that overall commercial air travel is much safer than it was in the past. If pilot errors are responsible for a large percentage of plane crashes, should we find ways to increase manual flight time so that human pilots have more practice and greater opportunity to transfer explicit knowledge to tacit knowledge? Or does it make more sense to move in the opposite direction--to work toward reducing human involvement even further, eventually shifting to crewless flights?

4a. Once Automated, Twice Shy

"Trust in Me" (1862) by John Everett Millais

Carr describes two ways that labor-saving technology changes "the roles, attitudes, and skills" of the people performing a particular task: automation complacency and automation bias (67).

How have you fallen victim to these tendencies?

What devices do you possibly trust too much?

4b. Déjà vu?

"Young Woman Picking The Fruit of Knowledge" (1892) by Mary Cassatt

The fear that technology hinders learning is not a new one--Socrates warns in Plato's Phaedrus (370 BC) that the invention of writing itself promised to degrade human memory and give the appearance of wisdom without actual understanding. If it is true that the use of a pocket calculator degrades mathematical skills and the use of search engines reduces the exercise of memory, does that represent a serious problem in human knowledge? Why is it important to generate knowledge on your own when so much is quickly and readily available when you need to use it?

5a. The Digital Doctor

"Self-portrait with a Portrait of Doctor Farill" (1951) by Frida Kahlo

Most people were optimistic about integrating digital medical records more broadly into health care, but some worry that the presence of computers has had unintended consequences, including disruption of the doctor-patient relationship. What role should digital technology play in medicine? If experienced physicians are capable of drawing quickly from a deep well of knowledge and intuition, does that surpass the most advanced computer's ability to analyze massive amounts of data and offer "decision support" to those physicians? Are digital support tools even more useful for less experienced physicians? Or does the computer system hinder doctors' abilities to offer the most effective care? Is there a crucial human element in medicine that computers can never replicate?

5b. Imagine This

"The Imaginative Faculty" (1948) by Rene Magritte

At the end of chapter five, Carr credits British philosopher Michael Okeshott for giving us "a perfect description of computer intelligence:  eminently practical and productive and entirely lacking in curiosity, imagination, and worldliness"  (124).

If "curiosity, imagination, and worldliness" are qualities that only humans can possess, should they be the primary focus of our schools?

Have you had educational experiences that have encouraged the development of these qualities?

What might be the dangers or challenges to an educational system that focuses solely on these qualities?

6a. Save the Hippocampi!

"Baby Map of the World" (1939) by Salvador Dali

The use of GPS clearly affects our interaction with our environment, removing negative feedback or "friction" and causing us to ignore environmental cues in favor of information presented by the GPS device. The stakes seem to be very high--along with cultural implications, our physical brains seem to be changing with decreased use of our own navigational skills. How extensively do you use GPS guidance to get around? How has your use of GPS devices affected your own navigational skills? Does learning about the connection between navigation and memory--and the potential to actually grow your hippocampus--motivate you to change your behavior?

6b. Fast is bad?

"Audiotorium del Parco, L'Aquitaine" (2009) by Renzo Piano

Carr quotes architect Renzo Piano stating, "The problem with the computers is that they make everything very fast" (142). What is sacrificed for efficiency, several of Carr's sources suggest, is thinking, creativity, and expressiveness. However, he also notes that computer-aided design creates opportunities for innovation and experimentation in architecture. Is privileging pencil and paper drawing over CAD merely a matter of nostalgia for old tools and old ways? Or is the embodied act of drawing artistically superior to CAD? How does substitution of digital for manual tools shape other creative activities or artistic objects? How does it change the relationship of the artist to the artwork?

Auditorio del Parco, L'Aquitaine, designed by Renzo Piano

7. Soft in the Head

"Mental Arithmetic: In the Public School of S. Rachinsky" (1895)

by Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky

According to Carr, "software programmers receive little or no training in ergonomics, and they remain largely oblivious to relevant human factors research. It doesn't help that engineers and computer scientists, with their strict focus on math and logic, have a natural antipathy for the 'softer' concerns of their counterparts in the human-factors field" (159).

Do you feel a strong affiliation for one side of the math-logic/human-factors divide? Have you had any experiences that illustrate for you the value of one side of that divide or the other? Is the question of whether or not someone "likes math" little more than a matter of taste, no different than whether or not someone like a different flavor of ice cream? If you had to choose, would you say society undervalues math and science or overvalues math and science?

8a. Wanna drive?

"In the Car" (1963) by Roy Lichtenstein

In what ways do self-driving cars create moral problems that computers are not prepared to address? Do you agree with Carr that “it’s impossible to automate complex human activities without also automating moral choices" (186)? Why? If automated cars can reduce car crashes, as automated flight has reduced plane crashes, how does that affect the moral implications of driverless cars?

8b. General Machine

"Wounded Soldier" (1914) by Marc Chagall

Carr predicts that "as soon as it becomes clear that automated soldiers and weaponry will lower the likelihood of their sons or daughters being killed or maimed in battle, the pressure on governments to automate war making may become irresistible" (192).

Is reduced loss of American military lives a strong enough reason to push for less human engagement in warfare?

What are the potential unintended consequences of increasing military automation?

Does automation create a new moral dilemma for the military?

8c. True Self

"Woman Looking at Herself in a Mirror" (1805)
by Katsushika Hokusai

The increasing integration of information across multiple platforms has become incredibly profitable to owners of social media companies--just this summer Microsoft purchased the professional networking site LinkedIn for over $26 billion. The fluid connections between how you present yourself on different social networks, Mark Zuckerberg suggests, means that we will project one consistent image of ourselves to family, coworkers, classmates, and friends, and that image will have a greater integrity than fragmented, varied identities for different contexts.

In her 2013 book about the tech industry that developed social media, Alice E. Marwick observes that the concept of authenticity, or the authentic self, has come to be synonymous with consistency of self-representation.

How do you define authenticity?

Can a person have multiple identities and still have integrity?

How are social media limited in their abilities to express users' identity?

8d. Cloak of Invisibility

"Invisible World" (1954) by Rene Magritte

What does it mean for a technology to become “invisible” as many software companies aspire to accomplish?

How does making technology less obtrusive or visible actually lend it more, not less, power over us?

Interlude with a Grave Robber

"The Puppeteer" (1932) by Norman Rockwell

What is meant by Mark Zuckerberg’s concept of “frictionless sharing” (181)?

To what extent are personal relationships increasingly automated--not just filtered through digital media but prompted and generated by invisible algorithms?

How does this change the nature of human interactions?

9. The Work of Knowing

"Wrestlers" (1905) by George Luks

According to Carr, "While we're wrestling with a challenge, we may be motivated by an anticipation of the ends of our labor, but, as [Robert] Frost saw, it's the work--the means--that makes us who we are. Automation severs ends from means. It makes getting what we want easier, but it distances us from the work of knowing" (232)

Do you know anyone who values the "work of knowing"? If so, can you tell a story that illustrates that characteristic?

How about you? Have you ever had an experience in which you started out purely motivated to finish a learning assignment but discovered along the way that the work in itself was of value to you? If so, did you do anything after the assignment was completed to continue working on it?

The Glass Cage Sandbox

"The Beach at Palavas" (1854) by Gustave Courbet 

Have a question or comment about The Glass Cage that had not been addressed elsewhere on this website?

Bring it to the comment box below.

The Glass Cage Takeaway

So you've read The Glass Cage now. In 100 words or less, identify the part of the book the is most likely to stick with you the longest.

What's your take away?

Don't answer this question until you've finished reading the entire book.

Welcome aboard, Honors Entering Class of 2016!

"The Great Wave Off Kanagawa" (1831)by Katsushika Hokusai

So you're officially a college student.  And not just that, you are joining the ECU Honors Program. Congratulations and welcome aboard!  You've officially arrived.  It's a brave new world.   But fear not: signs of your success are already apparent.  If you're reading this, then you made it to ECU's Honors Enduring Questions website.  That's step #1.  And better yet (step #2), you already have the book for the summer reading (You do, right?  If not, stop reading this right now, yes now, go get your book--Nicholas Carr's The Glass Cage--and then start reading this again.  Seriously.).  After taking a peek at the questions on this website (click here;  yes there ARE a lot.  Don't panic!), you may be thinking to yourself (that's called reflection, and good, too, by the way)--"What exactly am I supposed to do here?"  These questions  have a simple purpose.  They are designed to help you engage with the text (and the rest of us).  And since we certainly don't want you to feel uncertain or to approach the questions "willy-nilly" (a fun way to say without structure or system), click here to see the rules.  See you on the next post!