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Analysis
The article “Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us,” by Bill Joy, cofounder and Chief Scientist of Sun Microsystems, was co-chair of the presidential commission on the future of IT research, and is coauthor of The Java Language Specification. Joy’s article follows the structural format of a Rogerian argument. The Rogerian arrangement is defined as essay composed in this manner: Introduction, establish that you have paid attention to views different from your own. Build trust by stating these views. Concessions, reassure the people you hope to persuade by showing that you agree with them to an extent and do not think they are completely wrong. Thesis, now that you have earned the confidence of your audience, state your thesis, claim, or proposition. Support, explain why you have taken this position and provide support for it. Conclusion, conclude by showing how your audience and other people could benefit from accepting your position. Indicate the extent to which this position will resolve the problem you are addressing. If you are offering a partial solution to a complex problem, concede that further work may be necessary. He takes the position that technology is good but that there is a limit to the material needs of humans. At some point the advancement of knowledge and technology should be limited to reduce the risks of extinction we pose to ourselves by the attainment of this knowledge. Joy’s introduction shows us that he is aware of the different views and is in the foremost group of thinkers by setting the stage at a technology conference. Joy places articles and thoughts of renowned scientists in the front of his essay to reassure people that there is merit to his ideas. This is an important part of the Rogerian arrangement; concessions must be made at the beginning of an argument to gain the trust and confidence of the audience. Joy uses Ray Kurzweil’s book, The Age of Spiritual Machines, to show the possible good that robotics could bring and he conceded that this was helpful, but he point out the dangers had been understated and he provided evidence to this point, by presenting the article, The New Luddite Challenge, which is a very dystopian view of the future written by Theodore Kaczynski. He also goes on to say that Kaczynski’s article is supported by Hans Moravec’s book Robot: Mere Machine to Transcendent Mind. Joy goes on to tell you of his job as a computer programmer and establish himself as a non-luddite, again to gain confidence with the audience because most people see technology as a advantageous thing, and Luddite has come to carry a bad stigma with it. Joy supports his thesis by using quotes from Thoreau, the Dalai Lama, Jacques Attali, John Leslie, Carl Sagan, and George Dyson. He provides eerie scenarios that could arise from the unlimited pursuit of knowledge and shows that the benefits in most, if not all cases doesn’t outweigh the possible horrors that could wait the human race if we continue on this uninhabited path. Another use of the
Rogerian arrangement that strengthens Joy’s argument is in the conclusion,
he shows how people could benefit from limiting the advancement of knowledge
and technology, by reducing the inherent dangers associated with new knowledge
and lowering our percentage of extinction at least at our own hands. He
also concedes that further inquiry is required and that he merely wants
to spark discussion that we provide use with the answers to the problems
of GNR technologies.
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