From: Bryan Moss (bryan.moss@btinternet.com)
Date: Sat Jun 17 2000 - 09:37:41 MDT
Greg Burch wrote:
> [...], I was reminded of an idea I've had for a while (and
> which was also sparked by the "Japanese Techno-Animism"
> discussion), about the rebirth of animistic thinking in an
> age of intelligent machines. [...]
Might the opposite be true? I find that people involved in
computing tend to talk about themselves in less-"animistic"
terms. Perhaps in a world of intelligent machines, we will
loose the sense of autonomy we apply to each other.
Both scenarios worry me. We could either find ourselves in
the world you describe, or a world in which an over exposure
to objects endowed with mock human emotion deadens us to the
needs of other people. (Of course, why I should put the
needs of my fellow humans before the needs of my car - both
of whom might suffer equally in my absence - is another
matter entirely.)
BM
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