What Does it Mean to Be Human in a Technological Age?

What Does it Mean to Be Human in a Technological Age?

Read “The Posthuman Condition” by Bill McKibben, available below as a pdf. As you read, make notes in your humanities journal. What is his main point? Which parts of his argument are logically sound? Does he provide evidence? Which parts of his argument seem to be based on emotion, and do you find these appeals effective? Why or why not? Be sure to look closely at how McKibben makes his argument; that is, examine the rhetorical choices he makes as a writer to convince and persuade his readers. Read the grading rubric and evaluate McKibben’s essay. What grade would you give the essay and why?

After you have read the essay and made notes, listen to the CBC audio documentary “Voice Box & Flute”, available below as an mp3 and at http://www.methings.com/podshows/7747469. Make notes in your journal as you listen. What is the implicit argument of the documentary? In what ways does the sound documentary call into question (or “problematize”) McKibben’s essay? Is the aural (sound) a more or less effective way to make an argument than text? Why?

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Write a 3-4 page (double spaced) formal academic paper of approximately 1,200 words that discusses the two works and how they speak to each other in terms of the question, “What does it mean to be human in a technological age?” What answer(s) do the two works provide? In what ways are they in agreement? In what ways do their arguments, both implicit and explicit, differ from each other? McKibben, for example, decries the increasing incorporation of technology into the human body, including through genetic engineering (note that many of the genetic engineering technologies he writes about do not exist). The documentary, on the other hand, shows the centrality of technology to the lives of people with severe handicaps such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease), and the need to incorporate more and more technology into the human body. So, the big question is: How do you reconcile these positions? Does technology make us less or more human? Your paper should make a claim about the issues presented and provides a rationale for that claim.

I have not given you a specific thesis or claim to argue. It is your job as a writer to create your own analytic argument about these two works. There is not a single, “correct” answer; the two works raise important philosophical issues that each of us must answer for ourselves. Your approach should be creative and interesting. I am looking for a thoughtful discussion of the two works and how they speak to each other to illuminate the question posed in the title of this assignment. Your paper will be graded in part on the quality of your claim, so make sure you have a clearly articulated argument in your paper that you support with analysis. Be sure to read the grading rubric carefully and make sure your paper follows the criteria to the best of your ability. This first assignment will serve as a diagnostic essay to let you know where your writing stands in terms of university expectations.

Your essay should follow conventional academic format. Title your essay with your own unique title (don’t use the title of the assignment), have an engaging introduction that leads to a clear statement of claim/thesis/purpose/point of view, follow-though on what your introduction sets up, provide guidance throughout the essay that keeps your readers on track, and craft a conclusion that ties your essay together without simply and generically repeating your main points. (See grading rubric for further details on how your work will be graded.)

Additional Keys for Success

Your paper MUST be typed (double-spaced, on one side of the page only) in Times New Roman, 12 point.

Your paper MUST adhere to MLA (Modern Language Association) format and look EXACTLY like the sample essay. I’ve reproduced the first page of McKibbon’s essay, which you can use as a template. (Special Note: If you’re using MS Word, on the Home tab, click on Paragraph, and then click the box that says “Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style.”)

For further information on MLA format and other academic formats, visit “Research and Documentation Online” http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c08_o.html. This site also provides sample papers in MLA format, including how to handle images.

Your paper MUST include a separate Works Cited page that properly lists the essay and the audio documentary.

Works Cited

Hébert, Lisa and Carol Spendlove. Voice Box and Flute. Narr. Sarah Green. CBC Radio, 18 Oct. 2004. mp3.

McKibben, Bill. “The Posthuman Condition” from Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age. Harper’s Magazine, April 2003: 15-19.

May I use I? Yes. But do so in service of providing your readers guidance through your paper. “In this essay I argue . . .” is acceptable, while “I think that in my opinion . . .” is an ineffective use of first person.