ENGL 110 — Blog #1
Technology is one of many controversial topics of today about whether it is better or worse for our overall intelligence. Clive Thompson wrote about how technology is changing our minds for the better. In his work, he gave examples of technology advances through the game of chess. He begins his book by explaining how a man named Gary Kasparov, a grand master, was defeated in a game of chess by IBM’s deep blue supercomputer. Kasparov was at a total loss that he decided to creatively redefine the game of chess by using computers and humans to play.
Thompson admits that he predicted many of the dangerous consequences of technology but did not foresee many of the advancements that helped the race. He uses the transformations of playing chess to prove that there are both good and bad consequences of the use of technology. He notes in his work that there was a clear divide between people who thought playing chess with technology was a good thing because it allows people, such as Bobby Fischer, to achieve grand master status at younger ages. But there are also people who believe that using computers is a “grim sign” that computers will take over the game and that the human mind is much more valuable than computer software.
Technology has inevitably changed everyone’s life. It is a change that has helped people retain more information, view more, and communicate on a more global scale. I can personally relate to how technology has evolved over the years because my generation began when computers, smartphones, and other advancements were just becoming a real part of life. I do believe that sometimes technology can cause people to find the “easy way out.” For example, in Thompson’s work, he gave an example about a man named Christoph Nastidis who was caught plugging in moves for a chess game into his smart phone during his frequent bathroom breaks. Although, this is only one downfall for the many positives of technology. The multitasking tools that come with computers and other technologies make it harder to focus during long periods of contemplation and reading. Although this is a consequence of technology Thompson restates that it can be a distracting and a reliance we just have to be mindful and know when not to use the multitasking tools.
With every negative consequence of technology, there is a way to maintain control with the new technologies and many clear positives from the advancements. One main positive that Thompson refers to frequently is the players of “advanced chess” as centaurs. People who can productively use the chess software and human emotions to play amazing games. Playing advanced chess did not lessen the human ability to play chess but instead helped them play the game at a much deeper and complex level. Many times “our digital tools” can make use smarter even when we are not using consistently throughout the day because many of the ideas and topics will be thought about for longer periods of time after the fact.
