Memo13+--+Interview+Questions

Thomas Solley STSH 4980-01 Senior Thesis Costelloe-Kuehn 9/13/2014 11/21/2014

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__ Memo 13 -- Interview __ Questions
 * 1) [See Memo6] Why does the world need transhumanism? Why seek augmentation?
 * 2) What systems in your life have created the "drive" to upgrade, or to "augment" yourself?
 * 3) How do cyborg soldiers compare to "organics" in war? What of the aftermath?
 * 4) Should cyborgs ever be created and used for military purposes, what ramifications of this do you see occuring?
 * 5) What, in your mind, is the line between "man" and machine? [May ask supplements to probe deeper]
 * 6) Consider popular cultural depictions on the subject -- such as Bioware's //Mass Effect 3// "Reapers," BBC's //Doctor Who// "Cybermen" and "Daleks," and the popular world of Bioware's //Deus Ex: Human Revolution//. What problems do you see with the way "humanity" is portrayed, as opposed-to the "inhuman" or "inhumane"?
 * 7) What makes acts of technological terror "dehumanizing"?
 * 8) Is the use of technology inherently "dehumanizing"?
 * 9) What in your life has shaped the way you view the Transhumanist/Prohumanist movements?
 * 10) Do you see the Transhumanists and Posthumanists as the same movement, but speaking with different voices? Do they have the same goals?

*NOTE* These will be updated. Above are the first ("preliminaries"), which will be edited and changed as we learn more about specific authors, arguments, and counter-examples.

Some updates; [Comments will include the source/designee of these] > - The ‘about’ page of your blog mentions the community on your behalf as a “cult-like following” – how do you respond to this, and to the negative connotations the word “cult” implies? > What “intrinsic value” do Neo-Luddites see in “analog, offline experiences”? >
 * 1) While your thoughts on “social networks” themselves can be seen from your blog posts, I was wondering what your thoughts on other forms of communication technologies were. What are your thoughts regarding the “slow tech” movement – the group trend embodying the “unplug” thoughts and ideals in society, as it were? How would you respond to stories of individuals’ “radical change” after going without “technology” for extended periods of time?
 * 2) What are your thoughts regarding the way “media users” view these “anti-social users”? What, if anything, do you think each side has to offer?
 * 1) As I am one only recently emerged into the “smartphone/Internet/technology” debate, what further resources and information could you share with me that might help inform my understanding?
 * 2) The “tech discontents” mentioned in the article maps somewhat to a category of “complaint” I found – that of communications technology (here epitomized as the ‘phone’) being the source of a feeling of “separation” in modern-day interpersonal interactions, that digital conversations – and conversations made between physically-present individuals but in the presence of phones – hold, somehow, ‘less meaning’ than traditional methods of communication. Have you also come across this ‘trend,’ this ‘frustration,’ in your work?
 * 3) The “tech hipsters” mentioned in the article seems to map to a category of complaints I found, closely-aligned with the “slow tech” or “slow movement,” which calls for a “return to Nature.” All of the data I’ve found representing this belief came from personal blogs and stories of individuals, who after having taken “time away” from “technology” out in the backwoods came back “changed,” and claimed that “technology has led to a lesser life than that found profoundly with Nature.” Have you also come across this belief or complaint – this “throwback,” if you will, a trend looking back to “the good old days”? What are your reactions to such thoughts or such a trend? Do you see them as “Luddites”?
 * 4) The third category of public complaint I’ve found seems to represent a more political belief – that “personal communication devices” (herein referring to anything with a screen that is handheld – usually phones, smartphones, or tablets) have become a “danger” to public-traffic areas and are the root cause for many traffic-related accidents over the last seven years. Does this also meet with your data?
 * 5) 
 * 6) As there appears to be a lack of “response” from the transhumanist community at-large, what are your views in regards to this claim – that “natural” and “physical” interactions provide humans with a more “profound” experience than those found within the digital and virtual realms?
 * 7) Another, similar category of complaint I have found is with regards-to smartphones and tablets; that interpersonal communications via these devices has created a “distancing” of humans from each other, even between physically-embodied and present individuals. If I may ask, sir, from your perspective what reasons exist for these claims to be invalid?
 * 8) As a recognized and leading figure in the transhumanist movement, your words carry a lot of weight. If I were to ask you to go on the public record and voice an opinion on the behalf of the transhumanist community in response to these claims, what would your reply be?
 * 9) If I may intrude upon your time and ask a favor – as a scientist only newly entering into this realm of ethics, philosophy, and user-centered design – what further resources would you recommend I utilize to broaden my horizons and gain an appropriate understanding of these subjects?
 * 10) How would you respond to the claim that your story is seen as “hippie,” or otherwise told from a “delusional” perspective?
 * 11) What in your mind separates your story – one common among personal blogs and interviews – from that of other people having undergone a similar experience?
 * 12) What in your mind separates your story from the negative connotations associated with the term “Luddite”?
 * 13) How would you respond to the claim that “Neo-Ludism” is a “backwards” trend, one “stuck in the past”?
 * 1) Connotation of the virtual being "less real" than the physical
 * c