Philosophy 101D

Anyone, please feel free to answer my questions. If the Internet is so good at giving us the information that we want, why are most of the people on this website bringing up the same exact issues and examples? If we were in class would this also happen? While I like how this website is employed in class, does it hinder us when it comes to the responsibilities as students? Are we encouraged to participate more or less in class? Could this be attributed to embodiment and distant learning? Please give me some feedback.

I am still puzzled by the idea that people are still siding with Dreyfus in the debate about the Internet and technology. I mean no offense to anyone who is sided with him, but I find flaws in any and all arguments that he makes. The entire first chapter covers the idea of Hyperlinks and their poor functionality on the Internet. Dreyfus argues that Hyperlinks are a threat to the way we live and the way that we get our information. He brings up the point that libraries are well organized and pieced together in groups according to what they are about, and that Hyperlinks are randomly assembled and have no real interconnection. However, Dreyfus states that the organization of Hyperlinks on the Internet is a threat to the way that we ind information,but he never states exactly how. Dreyfus merely expresses his frustrations with the way that the Internet works. Furthermore, the use of any noteworthy search engine eliminates the need for any sort of organization.
An argument that has been brought up in class and also in other posts that I have read is that over use of the Internet causes isolation and an increasing lack of need or want for human interaction. I agreed that this was possible to a certain extent for a while and could see it in examples of kids playing games online and doing nothing else. Clark makes a very strong argument against this in chapter 6 when he states “According to a University of Warwick (UK) study, heavy Internet surfers are more likely not less to belong to some real-world community group, and less likely to spend time passively watching TV. Talking to others on the Internet encourages, it seems, the appreciation that we can get together with like-minded folk and actually make a difference in the world. This goes directly along with the idea of the Internet as a shoe and not a crutch.

Wikipedia was brought up in class the other day in regards to the discussion on the internet and the readings by Clark and Dreyfus. Since I do not know that much about wikipedia, I decided to research it a little more. According to their website, wikipedia is a “multilingual, web-based, free content encyclopedia project.” The word ‘project’ throws me off a little in that it is something that is done for fun on someone’s spare time, but it has gotten to be very well-known. Since it was introduced in 2001, wikipedia has grown to be one of the largest reference websites on the internet. However, the content is completely written by volunteers and can be edited at any time someone decides they don’t like what’s on there. This possibility that any certain article could be completely false makes me question the authority of this website. However, after the article that was given in class entitled, “Internet encyclopedias go head to head” was very eye-opening. Encyclopedia Britannica has experts in given fields that help write and edit the entries but and wikipedia is done by volunteers. However, the accuracy is much better than I thought it would ever be. The study that was conducted for the two encyclopedias showed that the average entry in wikipedia contained just around four inaccurate statements but in Encyclopedia Britannica had three per entry. This is astonishing, and it definitely changes my mind in regards for me trusting it. I always disregarded wikipedia as an actual legitimate source, but now I am thinking twice. I doubted the information that was on the internet (with the exception of electronic journals) but wikipedia is changing my mind around. The internet is actually allowing people to express their knowledge in any subject they feel close to, and surprisingly aren’t as wrong as I thought.

Dreyfus and the internet have a rather difficult time getting on even terms. Individuals who utilize the internet are subject to separation from the outside world and fall into a depressed state. We do crazy things on the internet that we would never even think about doing in real life. If we stop and think about this for a minute, is it really true? Instantly, I can think of two ways in which one is true and the other isn’t.

This isn’t necessarily true, because by utilizing the internet, we have several options. We can still be in constant contact with friends and family via instant messaging and e-mail. Also we can make new friends from around the world who are of different ethnicities, religions, etc. Social networks such as Myspace, Facebook, and Xanga help us accomplish this task. The internet also consists of many websites that are continuously updated with news, sports, weather, finance, and much more. So in a sense, we still have a connection with the outside world because we know what current events are effecting and shaping our world.

However, utilizing the internet can lead to the effects I described at the beginning. Instantly, I think of the game World of Warcraft. I’m not sure about now, but when it first came out people’s lives suddenly vanished. They sat day and night in front of their computer on the internet, trying to upgrade their character’s levels. Obviously, they had no contact with the outside world (other than their fellow players) and had no clue what events were shaping the world. Also, various websites can become addictive. While I stated above that Myspace and Facebook are websites that allow people to meet new people and stay in contact with their own, it can turn into something where we log in and out constantly to check out a never ending story of wall posts, friend additions, and group invitations.

So is the internet really bad? I think not if you know how to use it.

What most intrigued me about Dreyfus’s book was his strong opinions in regards to his arguments. Frankly, I agree with most of what he says. The topic that I feel is one of the strongest opinions, and that I agree with the most, was how the Internet and press essentially changed human behavior. The idea that everyone can have an opinion but not be tied down to it, take action on it, or even know what they are talking about is disturbing. However, I do think this is fundamentally true. In fact, I was just pondering this morning about how this change in society has affected me. (I know I’m an artist and I’m obsessed with talking about art related things but just bare with me). I have always wanted to be a working studio artist. I know that I have talent in the arts but being at this university (and even in high school) I have come to realize how many people are just full of crap. Being an artist has almost lost its integrity (probably just like everything else in the world). We have come to the point that almost everyone is capable of being an artist and making good money in the art field. Yet the problem with that is the people that have no talent can make it big in the art world. As long as you have an opinion about something, you’re golden. Another problem is there are so many opinions out there that no one has the chance to be original anymore. Most of the practicing artists I bet don’t even have first hand experience with the subject that they working with (especially the people that are so adamant about the Iraq war and environmentalism). Those two topics seem to be some of the more popular choices of now. But really, how many people have actually felt the strains of this problem on their shoulders, or have done something about it? They are using they’re artistic license to make art for people who want to show that they are concerned with that problem (a.k.a. good humanitarians). What is the world coming to? Sometimes these bozos really detour me from being an artist, but hopefully they won’t stop me (because I have the secret weapon…talent!)

This whole semester has been building up to a serious philosophical discussion of the internet. People use the internet all the time, but know very little about it. So to get you psyched up for the discussion, you should watch this video: