Mechanical analog computers had their origins in Naval Gunnery in World War I […] mechanical analog computers remained of considerable military importance certainly until well into the 1960s and have only been superseded by digital computing systems in the 1970s.

Natural Born Computers
Natural Born Computers
You who calculate! …
Why not use Brains of Steel which never tire?
(Brunsviga ad, 1909)
Julia and Cho are talking about the following article:
BRUNSVIGA

In this post the dialogue is realised by an interaction of virtual characters, for more information please check the page “Virtual characters“

Julia

Cho
Hi Julia! Never a bother! How can I help you? 😊

Julia

Julia

Cho
Sure, but AI isn’t really my thing, as you know 😅

Julia
Oh, yes I do know! But you do have a background in psychology, right? 😉

Cho
That’s right, cognitive psychology 😊

Julia

Julia

Cho
Like, how did we discover the rules of thinking in the brain?

Julia

Cho
Ah, now I see what you’re getting at. Well, maybe 🤔

Julia

Cho
It depends a bit on what you mean by “intelligence”

Cho

Cho

Cho

Cho
If it works like human intelligence, why do we call it artificial?

Julia

Cho
Good luck with your article!
… Continue reading our conversations that are posted every Saturday …
Related post
Total posts on the argument
Fire All Neurons!
The Brain is as the Brain does
In the development of information technology there now seems to exist a new phase whereby the aim is to replicate many of these “neural” functions artificially
Counting on the Brain
Despite the evolution of the nervous system, it is not accompanied by a manual explaining the principles of operation …
Found in Translation
Whereas the notion of a “correct” computation is unproblematic … The notion of a “good” translation is ridden with problems …
The ends justify the rules
Complicated mental processes are entirely reducible to such simple activities as the attentive observation of statements previously accepted as true, the perception of structural, purely external, connections among these statements, and the execution of mechanical transformations as prescribed by the rules of inference

To Humanity and Beyond
To Humanity and Beyond
The case of the use of the abacus by Japanese school children and adults provides an illustration of how thoroughly the historical processes involved in the development of a tool’s use becomes incorporated into a culture-specific technology while simultaneously becoming a part of human nature ..
We Have Met Technology and It Is Us
Cole & Derry 2005
Manuel, Cho and Sam are talking about the following paper:
Enhancement, ethics and society: ..


In this post the images comes from:
-
- Cottonbro from Pexels
- Vine from Pexels
In this post the dialogue is realised by an interaction of virtual characters, for more information please check the page “Virtual characters“

Group Chat
Manuel, Cho, Sam

Manuel
Let’s get down to earth again. Prosthetics generally replace a missing limb, but cognitive tools seem to do something different, right?

Cho
Limb or organ, but OK 😊

Sam
The categories do overlap though, you can definitely see some brain implants as cognitive tools

Manuel
OK, examples? 😉

Sam
Deep Brain stimulation to improve memory in Alzheimer patients

Cho
Indeed, and this also improves memory in non-impaired people, so can be considered an enhancement too

Manuel
Right, so cognitive tools aren’t just handheld devices, but can also be prosthetics or implants

Manuel
With all the tools and technologies we have nowadays, do we live in some kind of sci-fi future? 👾

Sam
Ha! 🤔 I’m sure some would see it as a dystopia! Everything controlled by computers we no longer understand …

Cho
That actually is a serious issue. Things have gotten incredibly complex and no single person understand everything anymore

Cho
Just think of surgery: most surgeries require a large team and a lot of infrastructure, not just a dude with a saw …

Sam
That’s right, same thing for computers. Remember the y2k panic? Year 2000 problem

Sam
People thought the millennium bug would cause the end of the world!

Sam
Both individual computers and especially computer networks have become hugely complex. Not just two guys in a garage…

Manuel
Ok, so a lot more specialization and collaboration.

Cho
Sam mentioned brain prosthetics earlier: it won’t be long before we have brain prosthetics with AI

Cho
I’m quite sure that this would be considered an enhancement by most, and scary by many.

Sam
Right, it might not be literally rocket science, but it does bring together two of the most complex and advanced fields

Manuel
Computers and the brain, neither of which we fully understand yet?

Sam
Well, we design the computers, but artificial neural networks are indeed hard to explain

Cho
Asking people to let an implant “do their thinking for them” requires a lot of trust

Manuel
Wow, this has been great, thank you both so much for your input! 😊
… Continue reading our conversations that are posted every Saturday …
Related post
Total posts on the argument
Fire All Neurons!
Mechanical analog computers had their origins in Naval Gunnery in World War I […] mechanical analog computers remained of considerable military importance certainly until well into the 1960s and have only been superseded by digital computing systems in the 1970s.
The Brain is as the Brain does
In the development of information technology there now seems to exist a new phase whereby the aim is to replicate many of these “neural” functions artificially
Counting on the Brain
Despite the evolution of the nervous system, it is not accompanied by a manual explaining the principles of operation …
Found in Translation
Whereas the notion of a “correct” computation is unproblematic … The notion of a “good” translation is ridden with problems …
The ends justify the rules
Complicated mental processes are entirely reducible to such simple activities as the attentive observation of statements previously accepted as true, the perception of structural, purely external, connections among these statements, and the execution of mechanical transformations as prescribed by the rules of inference
The Digital Analogy
Computers are only prostheses; they no more do calculations than clocks tell the time. Clocks help us to tell the time, butthey don’t do it by themselves
Thinking in the Box
Even the simplest brains are awesome computational instruments, they do computations we do not know how to do, in ways we do not understand…
Wet Between the Ears
Sensations are received by a certain definite number of sensor nerves, which constitute the only means we possess of obtaining a knowledge of the external world …
Good Old Fashioned Artificial Neural Networks
With the determination of the net, the unknowable object of knowledge, the “thing in itself,” ceases to be unknowable …
A material program living in a material world
To what extent a digital computer can be programmed to exhibit the sort of simple intelligent behavior characteristic of children and sometimes animals…
Mental Programs
How do some humans try to solve some simple formal problems? This article is concerned with the psychology of human thinking …

Going Into a Limb
Going Into a Limb
The distinction between a “tool” and a prosthesis that is implanted into the body is more apparent than real. …
Anderson 2007
Manuel, Cho and Sam are talking about the following paper:
Neuro-Prosthetics, the Extended Mind, and Respect for Persons with Disability


In this post the images comes from:
-
- Vlada Karpovich from Pexels
- Ivy Son from Pexels
- Anna Shvets from Pexels
In this post the dialogue is realised by an interaction of virtual characters, for more information please check the page “Virtual characters“

Group Chat
Manuel, Cho, Sam

Sam
I’m not sure these count as prosthetics or enhancement, but we all use devices to improve ourselves

Sam
I use GPS, map, and navigation software to plan my route, but I could do it on my own

Sam
But for people with cognitive impairments devices like that become essential for day to day activities

Manuel
I see what you mean: one person’s enhancement is another person’s cure, so to say

Cho
The same happens in medicine, where sensors and smart devices are use to speed recovery, say, in physiotherapy

Cho
but also to help athletes reach peak performance. Restoring and enhancing are on the same slippery slope

Manuel
Can we compare cognitive tools to “prosthetics for the mind”?

Sam
That sounds a bit weird, but maybe? I mean, pencil and paper would qualify as cognitive tool …

Cho
If you put shoes in the same category as prosthetic legs, sure, but it stretches the usual meaning quite a bit

Manuel
OK, maybe that goes too far, and indeed we all seem to use tools like that all the time. So we’re all enhanced?

Sam
Depends on what your baseline is. I’ve got a smartwatch, but my grandfather could tell the time and predict the weather just by looking at the sky

Cho
Indeed, replicating the same functionality but with different means, isn’t really enhancement

Manuel
Right, so if we just keep doing the same things, but now with tools, it’s not really enhancement?

Cho
Think about this example: people used to have to memorize a lot of things, like phone numbers

Cho
Now we can just look them up. It is quicker, but not radically different

Sam
Right, we can make calls from the middle of nowhere, instead from a fixed phone, but that’s just improvements in infrastructure

Sam
I mean, we wouldn’t consider switching cars for horses an “enhancement” in the human body or functionality?

Manuel
I guess not, but shouldn’t we then discuss overall progress too? Like at the level of humanity, aren’t we all enhanced in a sense?

Cho
That’s an interesting point … also from a medical point of view. Better hygiene, antibiotics, vaccines, give us incredible lifespans compared to cavemen

Sam
And better communication and transportation have allowed for very different types of societies. So out tools do make us better!

Manuel
Better humans? Superior humans?

Cho
Ouch, that sounds wrong. Maybe better at being human?

Sam
Ok, fair enough, that sounds more like it

Manuel
So as individuals and as humanity we have progressed through tool use and by further integration with our tools …
… Continue reading our conversations that are posted every Saturday …
Related post
Total posts on the argument
Fire All Neurons!
Mechanical analog computers had their origins in Naval Gunnery in World War I […] mechanical analog computers remained of considerable military importance certainly until well into the 1960s and have only been superseded by digital computing systems in the 1970s.
The Brain is as the Brain does
In the development of information technology there now seems to exist a new phase whereby the aim is to replicate many of these “neural” functions artificially
Counting on the Brain
Despite the evolution of the nervous system, it is not accompanied by a manual explaining the principles of operation …
Found in Translation
Whereas the notion of a “correct” computation is unproblematic … The notion of a “good” translation is ridden with problems …
The ends justify the rules
Complicated mental processes are entirely reducible to such simple activities as the attentive observation of statements previously accepted as true, the perception of structural, purely external, connections among these statements, and the execution of mechanical transformations as prescribed by the rules of inference
The Digital Analogy
Computers are only prostheses; they no more do calculations than clocks tell the time. Clocks help us to tell the time, butthey don’t do it by themselves
Thinking in the Box
Even the simplest brains are awesome computational instruments, they do computations we do not know how to do, in ways we do not understand…
Wet Between the Ears
Sensations are received by a certain definite number of sensor nerves, which constitute the only means we possess of obtaining a knowledge of the external world …
Good Old Fashioned Artificial Neural Networks
With the determination of the net, the unknowable object of knowledge, the “thing in itself,” ceases to be unknowable …
A material program living in a material world
To what extent a digital computer can be programmed to exhibit the sort of simple intelligent behavior characteristic of children and sometimes animals…
Mental Programs
How do some humans try to solve some simple formal problems? This article is concerned with the psychology of human thinking …

The Sum of the Parts vs the Whole
The Sum of the Parts vs the Whole
The firm should have the right to take back what it produced — the collection of artificial organs illegally masquerading as Mr Jones and present in this court-room even now …
Stanislaw Lem 1968
Manuel, Cho and Sam are talking about the following paper: ARE YOU THERE, MR JONES?


In this post the images comes from:
-
- Min An from Pexels
- Tara Winstead from Pexels
In this post the dialogue is realised by an interaction of virtual characters, for more information please check the page “Virtual characters“

Group Chat
Manuel, Cho, Sam

Cho
There’s been a lot of discussion in the medical community about enhancement

Cho
The same drug can be a treatment for one person and an enhancement for the next

Cho
a well-known example is Ritalin

Manuel
I did hear about that indeed. So would you say this is also the case for prosthetics?

Cho
Absolutely! Just think about the controversy about Oscar Pistorius

Cho
His competitors insisted that his prosthetics gave him an unfair advantage: an enhancement 😊

Sam
If I can chime in on this point, not a prosthetic, but there was a similar controversy about running shoes 😅

Manuel
Running shoes? Well, in a sense we might consider shoes as some kind of prosthetic … 😅

Sam
Maybe, but thanks to these spring-loaded soles Eliud Kipchoge ran the first marathon under 2 hours

Cho
Oh yes, I remember that bit of news! It was quite a big deal… lots of assistive technology too 👍

Sam
It didn’t really count as an official record, but it did show what technology can do to improve performances

Manuel
Even though it didn’t count as world record, it still counts for our article! 😊 I’d say this is enhancement too

Sam
I would say so too, but I also think we should distinguish between tools and prosthetics …

Manuel
Good point! What do you think, Cho?

Cho
I’m not sure you can make a clean break between those two, there will always be grey area’s

Cho
Does it only count as a prosthetic if you cannot take it off? Between a crutch and an artificial hip there’s a lot of room for discussion

Sam
That’s right, same goes for cognitive tools, it’s a sliding scale.

Manuel
Cognitive tools? 🤔

Sam
Yes: like pocket calculators, or basically any utility app on your smartphone …

Cho
I couldn’t get anything done without my digital to do lists and calendar! 😊

Sam
Basically, those enhance your memory: cognitive tools

Manuel
I see what you mean, but that seems another category again! 😊
… Continue reading our conversations that are posted every Saturday …
Related post
Total posts on the argument
Fire All Neurons!
Mechanical analog computers had their origins in Naval Gunnery in World War I […] mechanical analog computers remained of considerable military importance certainly until well into the 1960s and have only been superseded by digital computing systems in the 1970s.
The Brain is as the Brain does
In the development of information technology there now seems to exist a new phase whereby the aim is to replicate many of these “neural” functions artificially
Counting on the Brain
Despite the evolution of the nervous system, it is not accompanied by a manual explaining the principles of operation …
Found in Translation
Whereas the notion of a “correct” computation is unproblematic … The notion of a “good” translation is ridden with problems …
The ends justify the rules
Complicated mental processes are entirely reducible to such simple activities as the attentive observation of statements previously accepted as true, the perception of structural, purely external, connections among these statements, and the execution of mechanical transformations as prescribed by the rules of inference
The Digital Analogy
Computers are only prostheses; they no more do calculations than clocks tell the time. Clocks help us to tell the time, butthey don’t do it by themselves
Thinking in the Box
Even the simplest brains are awesome computational instruments, they do computations we do not know how to do, in ways we do not understand…
Wet Between the Ears
Sensations are received by a certain definite number of sensor nerves, which constitute the only means we possess of obtaining a knowledge of the external world …
Good Old Fashioned Artificial Neural Networks
With the determination of the net, the unknowable object of knowledge, the “thing in itself,” ceases to be unknowable …
A material program living in a material world
To what extent a digital computer can be programmed to exhibit the sort of simple intelligent behavior characteristic of children and sometimes animals…
Mental Programs
How do some humans try to solve some simple formal problems? This article is concerned with the psychology of human thinking …

Embodied Bodies
Embodied Bodies
Once incorporated into a body, then, a prosthesis is no longer merely an object, in the sense that we can no longer straightforwardly deny that it has or plays a role in a person’s subjectivity
Walker 2019
Manuel, Cho and Sam are talking about the following paper:
On Replacement Body Parts


In this post the images comes from:
-
- Polina Tankilevitch from Pexels
In this post the dialogue is realised by an interaction of virtual characters, for more information please check the page “Virtual characters“

Group Chat
Manuel, Cho, Sam

Manuel
Julia pointed out to us that medical technology is both extremely old and has always been linked with sci-fi or mythology

Manuel
Apparently the first-ever mention of a prosthetic leg dates back over 3000 years to the Indian Rig Veda “Vishpala“

Cho
That is indeed extremely old, but I do know that cavemen already performed brain surgery, so …😊

Sam
But this is mythological, right? I’m not sure how advanced it was … did it have moving joints?

Manuel
We don’t really know, but we have an actual prosthetic big toe from Egypt from around the same time “Ancient Egyptian’s wooden toe is sophisticated prosthetic“

Cho
That would actually be more advanced than a simple peg leg!

Manuel
The first moving joints were developed in the middle ages, as far as we know.

Sam
Yeah, I suppose that wooden prosthetics rarely survived intact

Manuel
There’s a Roman artificial leg, but no joints “Copy of Roman artificial leg, London, England, 1905-1915“

Cho
I do know some of this history, but I suppose you are also going to look to the future?

Manuel
Oh, absolutely! The point is that mythology and then sci-fi are full of amputations and replaced limbs

Sam
Sorry for being a nerd, but we will get to Darth Vader at some point, right?😊

Manuel
Ha! Sure, that’s a great example actually. At some point we slip from just replacing, to improving.

Cho
Now I see where you are going with this, yes. When is a prosthetic healing and when enhancing?

Sam
I guess that this is linked to, well, an engineering mindset, I’d say. If the body is a machine, we can repair as well as improve it.

Manuel
See? This is exactly why I needed both of you for this! When is something actually “enhancement”?

Cho
There are quire a few ethical problems linked to that … doctors “playing god” and all that.

Sam
Same here: as soon as you start talking about an AI that is more than human, things get really complicated.

Manuel
I’m looking forward to hearing all about it!
… Continue reading our conversations that are posted every Saturday …
Related post
Total posts on the argument
Fire All Neurons!
Mechanical analog computers had their origins in Naval Gunnery in World War I […] mechanical analog computers remained of considerable military importance certainly until well into the 1960s and have only been superseded by digital computing systems in the 1970s.
The Brain is as the Brain does
In the development of information technology there now seems to exist a new phase whereby the aim is to replicate many of these “neural” functions artificially
Counting on the Brain
Despite the evolution of the nervous system, it is not accompanied by a manual explaining the principles of operation …
Found in Translation
Whereas the notion of a “correct” computation is unproblematic … The notion of a “good” translation is ridden with problems …
The ends justify the rules
Complicated mental processes are entirely reducible to such simple activities as the attentive observation of statements previously accepted as true, the perception of structural, purely external, connections among these statements, and the execution of mechanical transformations as prescribed by the rules of inference
The Digital Analogy
Computers are only prostheses; they no more do calculations than clocks tell the time. Clocks help us to tell the time, butthey don’t do it by themselves
Thinking in the Box
Even the simplest brains are awesome computational instruments, they do computations we do not know how to do, in ways we do not understand…
Wet Between the Ears
Sensations are received by a certain definite number of sensor nerves, which constitute the only means we possess of obtaining a knowledge of the external world …
Good Old Fashioned Artificial Neural Networks
With the determination of the net, the unknowable object of knowledge, the “thing in itself,” ceases to be unknowable …
A material program living in a material world
To what extent a digital computer can be programmed to exhibit the sort of simple intelligent behavior characteristic of children and sometimes animals…
Mental Programs
How do some humans try to solve some simple formal problems? This article is concerned with the psychology of human thinking …
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