Computers and Human Values (CS009)
Why a First-Year Seminar?
n The origins of the New Curriculum and the “Modes of Inquiry” courses.
n The structure of an undergraduate (liberal arts) education
n The experiment of First-Year Seminars at Brown
Why “Computers and Human Values”?
n The role/effects of computer technology in/on contemporary life.
When our parents were our age, a course like this would have seemed ridiculous. Even had computers in the 1950s and 1960s been a million-fold more powerful than they were, they were regarded by nearly everyone who used them as simply large specialized machines. The view that the computer imposed (or would impose) itself on our lives in such a way as to transform our value system(s) was not a common one. With the rise of “personal” computing, computer networks, and extraordinary advances in the computing power, it is clear that the “reach” of computers is far greater than that of the hammer (a classical example of a “neutral” technology) or even the automobile; and thus considering our relationship to computers, and to technology generally, seems a fundamental part of becoming an educated person.
n The rise of the “information sector” of the economy.
Your generation is the first to have been schooled in the midst of widespread and well-funded national initiatives to bring computers into schools -- you are probably more familiar with the slogans that accompanied this phenomenon than we are at the University. But clearly educational institutions are not alone in having had to respond to the effects of an "information economy" on the nature of work in contemporary and future societies.
n The transformation of fundamental/traditional/"big" questions (and answers) about ourselves and our relationships with one another (and our environment) by technology, and especially computers.
We can see in our evaluation of Kant’s questions, for example, how computers have helped to shape our sense of our own abilities and prospects. It is arguable that as the power and presence of computers in our lives continues to grow, our answers to these and other fundamental questions will have change, and this raises issues about the sorts of values implicit in these different answers.
The Syllabus,
course requirements and the logistics of the Seminar.
Introductions
Our First
n Who is Hans Moravec?
n Why read this (older) book?
n How should we read this book?
We can read books many different ways (e.g. for the plot, for information’s sake, for the arguments made or criticized, or for the style or rhetorical techniques used). As an exercise, try to read the Prologue twice, with different foci each time, and then adopt whatever reading method you like for the rest of the assignment. Part of the value of a Seminar is learning how many readings are possible with a common text.
Questions to Decide Next Week
n How should we organize class presentations & projects?
Although I will present the readings on Monday, beginning on Wednesday I would like different students to present the assigned readings. This consists in little more than giving a 5-10 minute set of remarks on the significance of the reading, your response to it, and the questions you think we need to discuss.
I would also like students to prepare Reference pages for each of the required texts, and I’ll show you what I mean with Moravec on Monday. As there are fewer required texts than students, and the pages will benefit from teamwork, I expect these productions will be done in teams of 2-3 students each. If there is a text you are already familiar with, or especially curious about, please don’t hesitate to sign up for the Reference Page production immediately.
n (How) should we continue the Seminar outside of 506 CIT?
We have at our disposal a web site, a listserv, and a CMS (in this case WebCT) (as well as local cafeterias, lounges, cafes and restaurants!), so the question is whether and how to make use of these things to continue discussions, share information, and assist us with our work.
n Who (besides us) can/should participate in CS009?
We should decide whether there are members of the University community (and beyond) who might be useful to you as participants, experts, critics, etc. Similarly, a few colleagues have asked whether they can sit in on the course, and we need to decide whether/how to allow such occasional participation.
Assignments for Next Time:
For Monday: Read Mind Children, Prologue through chapter 2.
For Wednesday: Mind Children, chapters 3-6