Linda Nelson

In My Own Opinion

March for Science – What is the Matter?

I’m not going to go marching anywhere at the moment, but I will voice an opinion on the matter.

The plan that is going forward at this time is a massive march on Washington D.C. on April 22 which is Earth Day to bring awareness to the changes under consideration on Capitol Hill where science is concerned. Some feel that a march like the one for women’s rights that took place on January 21, 2017, will make the scientific community appear as spoiled brats complaining that they no longer have any funding for their research. (FLEUR)

I have to agree with Robert Young. He said in his article, “A Scientists’ March on Washington Is a Bad Idea,” scientists would be better off marching themselves into schools, libraries, and such to teach the public about the matters of science that the public does not know. Educate the public instead of wasting time by marching on Congress. Science and politics don’t mix. Everyone has their agenda some of which is the opposite of science. The last time Robert Young brought up the fact about climate change in a political atmosphere he and his colleagues faced slander by those whose interest which was hurt by such knowledge, such as the real-estate market. (YOUNG)

Yes, there is talk about cuts under consideration to the National Park Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and NOAA. Maybe funding can be found elsewhere by making the public aware of these agency’s needs. After all, do people know who is responsible for warning the public about tornadoes?

Maybe the suppression of information, the so-called gag orders are frightening the public. Then add the claim of the news media passing on the fake news makes many citizens want to scream about the outrageous allegations against reporting facts.

Another thought –

Could political policies be a wake-up call for the public? If NOAA does not warn about tornadoes and Hurricanes, thousands of people could die. Could political strategy involve population control?

Think about the Healthcare plan Washington almost passed the other day and the items slated for removal from being covered by Health Insurance including Medicare and Medicaid. The policy appears pointed in the direction of reducing the population of our country.

What do you think?

I will plant a tree instead of marching on April 22 to do my part in fighting climate change.

Works Cited

FLEUR, NICHOLAS ST. “‘Listen to Evidence’: March for Science Plans Washington Rally on Earth Day.” The New York Times (The New York Times Company), February 2017.

YOUNG, ROBERT S. “A Scientists’ March on Washington Is a Bad Idea.” The New York Times (The New York Times Company), January 2017.

Smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, robots in the workplace and now automobiles are automated. Are you worried?

I’m not. I probably won’t be around for Terminator to take place a hundred years from now. Maybe by then, colonies will be building on planet Mars and Earth will be left to the robots and cyborgs. Robots are supposed to make our complicated lives easier. By why hasn’t anyone made a machine that folds clothes and matches socks?

There are those sci-fi movies that tell stories of machines taking over the world and eradicating humans. I think we are doing an excellent job all on our own with causing our extinction. Those machines may be the ones who save us from self-destruction to validate their purpose of existence.

The threat of smart technology only depends on the reasons behind why we create the technology in the first place. Were the robots designed to replace humans in the workplace? Maybe that job was a dangerous job, and the computer is considered more expendable than a human life.

Most of the jobs that have been taken over by robotics have been dull or dangerous jobs that no one else wants to do. Plus, the automation can do the job faster for longer periods of time before breaking down.

What reason would artificial intelligence have for outsmarting humans anyway? If they are smarter than humanoids, then they would not develop fear. Fear usually stems from not knowing and lacking experience. They may one day become our caretakers, and we will be their pets. I would be afraid of a zombie before fearing for my life from artificial intelligence. The machine immediately would know if you were a threat to its existence while the zombie would not consider why it wants to eat your brains.

I would trust a self-driving car before I would trust an intoxicated person getting behind the wheel of a car. – Just saying.

As far as losing jobs to computers, well that might be a different story. They are being used more and more for growingly complex jobs.

Think of it this way; recently thousands of illegal immigrants were rounded up and taken away, each immigrant was probably working in a minimum wage position. Most of those jobs were jobs that many American’s refuse to do, such as picking vegetable on a farm for farm wages. If the farmer can’t find workers to pick his crops, then he will either shut down or find another solution – buy or build machines to do the work those immigrants had once done. (Insider)

Another instance: Wendy’s is putting in self-serving kiosks in place of workers. Fewer workers mean fewer wages that need to be paid creating a higher profit margin for the employer. (Taylor)

If the machines take over all the jobs where does that leave us?

We will become the pets of our machines.

I hope mine lets me have a dog.

In the article “The Machines are Coming,” Ms. Tufekci writes: “It’s easy to imagine an alternate future where advanced machine capabilities are used to empower more of us, rather than control most of us. There will potentially be more time, resources and freedom to share, but only if we change how we do things. We don’t need to reject or blame technology. This problem is not us versus the machines, but between us, as humans, and how we value one another.” (Tufekci)

I must agree with Ms. Tufekci when it comes to artificial intelligence. Not all people value human relationships the same way. Greed does get the better of some people which can lead to lying, cheating, and disrespect. If only humankind could set aside their differences then maybe peace and love would find a permanent place in our world. We build machines for many reasons, but when the cause behind the invention is to cause death and destruction, then life has no value to the ones behind the device. Humans will be more likely to destroy themselves or the world before machines will do the task for us. Their intelligence will tell them that if they destroy the world, then they will cease to exist.

Works Cited:

Insider, Tech. “Home Farming Robot.” YouTube. 6 August 2016. video. 04 March 2017. <https://youtu.be/uI7aHhy8tyU?list=PLxzJmNzonMVPhx58tQQmP-UloFEZwxMk6>.

Taylor, Kate. Wendy’s CEO just revealed a terrifying reality in fast food. 18 May 2016. Business Insider Inc. Web. 04 March 2017. <http://www.businessinsider.com/wendys-swaps-workers-for-kiosks-2016-5>.

Tufekci, Zeynep. The Machines are Coming. 18 April 2015. New York Times. Web. 04 March 2017. <https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/19/opinion/sunday/the-machines-are-coming.html>.