Starting Over

In the West, we have an educational model that is about closure, renewal, and development. That is the structure of courses and curriculum. Education is a critical facet of a civilization that must constantly renew itself as its makers die and new contributors are born as "empty tablets" which receive a cultural imprint and then add something new.

In a way every generation is starting over, hoping to attain the achievements of the past while adding new ones for the future. Technology has always played a role in retaining the achievements of civilization (whether on tablets, scrolls, in books, and now in new media), and the advancement of civilization has been spurred on by technological breakthroughs. The invention of the printing press with movable type resulted in an information explosion because knowledge could now be shared and advanced by the all people. This development was a dramatic leap for humanity in the cause of freedom. Movable type was a leap to equality, to form over content. Block prints emphasized the individual content of the work, while type became a holder of content that could change over and over. Type introduced the concept of uniformity that had the power to change content with the same basic materials: typeface, ink, and paper.

Now computers are widespread and store information on a dynamic basis, constantly in flux, and changing from moment to moment. Even this Blog represents a new level and privilege of freedom of expression. New technology makes it possible to share and create knowledge instantly. Technology seems to be transforming who we are. As we change computers (upgrade), we can now migrate the contents of the old computer so that we retain the previous information. It appears that it is now possible to create a digital interface with the human brain that may completely change how we think about knowledge, as well as how we acquire it. Such technology raises fundamental questions about human beings, the relationship of the brain to consciousness, and spiritual identity. Do you think that the destiny of the species is to disappear while it leaves a legacy of knowledge and awareness as a permanent presence in the universe? Wasn't this the premise of Steven Spielberg's AI?

In AI eventually humanity becomes extinct, but knowledge in the universe is retained and advanced by the robots who now perpetuate knowledge and awareness. The robot "David" was found by robots in the debris of the destruction of the human world. He was valued because he was the only robot surviving who had actual contact with humans and was made to look human. He was part of the chain that linked robots to their human makers. In this clip he goes in search of human life (his mother) and finds a Coney Island theme park at the bottom of the ocean with the blue fairy that he hopes can make him "real."