Aesthetics
Lesson 6: The Human Person  Is a branch of philosophy that
Flourishing In Terms Of Science
And Technology
Definition Of Philosophy
 The study of general and fundamental
problems concerning matters such as
existence, knowledge, values, reason,
mind and language.
 The term has been derived from
two Greeks words, “Philos” means
love and “Sophia” means wisdom.
 Philosophia − love of wisdom.
 Philosophy means love for
knowledge or passion for learning.
Epistemology
 The theory of knowledge, from the
Greek words episteme (knowledge)
and logos (word/speech/study), is the
branch of philosophy that deals with
the nature, origin, scope and
(possibility/study) of knowledge.
 Dealing with nature, is one of the
branches of philosophy.
Metaphysics
 It is the branch of philosophy
concerned with the study of "first
principles" and "being" (ontology).
 It is the study of the most general
aspects of reality, pertaining to
subjects such as substance, identity, the
nature of the mind, and free will.
Logic
 Logic from Classical Greek λόγος
(logos), originally meaning the word,
or what is spoken, but coming to mean
thought or reason is most often said to
be the study of arguments.
 Is the study of correct reasoning.
Ethics
 Is a general term for what is often
described as the "science (study) of
morality".
 In philosophy, ethical behavior is that
which is "good" or "right".
 Its the study of right and wrong in
human endeavors.
explores the creation and
appreciation of beauty through critical
analysis and reflection.
Martine Heidegger (1889-1976)
 German philosopher whose work is
associated with phenomology and
existentialism.
 He begins “The Question Concerning
Technology”.
 Heidegger used the term “dasein”
which literally means “being there”
focuses on the “mode of existence” or
the “who” of “Dasein”.
 Heidegger Examines Two Definitions
Of Technology.
 He offers that “Technology is
a means to an end”.
(Instrumental definition)
 He proposes that “Technology
is a human activity.
(Anthropological definition)
Doctrines Of Causality
 The modern concept of causality, even
if philosophically a challenge, is rather
simple. A thing or an event causes
another thing or event. The first thing
or event is called a cause, the second
is called an effect.
 The modern understanding of cause is
what the ancients would know as the
efficient cause, the causa efficiens. In
Aristotle’s classical scheme of causes
this would be one of totally four
causes, viz. The formal cause, the
material cause, the efficient cause,
and the final cause.
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  He also described modern technology
 Piety − means obedience and
 Causa Materialis (Material cause)
 The material, the matter out of
which an object is made
 Causa Formalis (Formal Cause)
 The form, the shape into which
the material enters.
 Causa Efficiens (Efficient Cause)
 Which brings about the effect
that is finished.
 Causa Finalis (Final Cause)
 End.
Bringing Forth
 The bringing forth-poesis-which
underlies causality is a bringing out of
concealment.
 The revealing is what the Greeks call
truth Aletheia-means unhiddedness or
disclosure.
 Technology brings forth as well, and it
is a revealing.
 This is seen in the way the Greeks
understood techne, which encompasses
not only craft, but other acts of the
mind and poetry.
 Heidegger characterizes modern
technology as a challenging forthvery
aggressive in its activity.
 With modern technology, revealing
never comes to an end.
 The revealing always happens on our
own terms as everything is on
demand.
as the age of switches, standing
reserve and stockpiling for its own
sake.
Examples:
 Volcanic Eruption −
challenging forth.
 Coral Bleaching − challenging
forth.
 Planting Trees − bringing
forth.
 Mining − challenging forth.
 Farming − bringing forth.
Questioning As The Piety Of Thought
submission.
 One builds a way towards
knowing the truth who he/ she
is as a being in this world.
 Thus, we shall never
experience our relationship to
the essence of technology so
long as we merely represent
and pursue the technological,
put up with it, or evade it.
 Everywhere we remain unfree
and chained to technology,
whether we passionately
affirm or deny it. But we are
delivered over to it in the
worst possible way when we
regard it as something neutral;
for this conception of it, to
which today we particularly
like to pay homage, makes us
utterly blind to the essence of
technology.
On Martin Heidegger's "The
Memorial Address”
 Calculative Thinking
 Meditative Thinking
Calculative Thinking - Is the more
technical kind of human thought, in
which people gather information and
put it together in order to put it to
some specific use o is always in use
with mankind, as it is necessary to
the more practical activities and
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 motivations of life o It is the more Eudaimonia
active aspect of human thought,  Means good spirit is a property of
concerned more with the doing of a one’s life when considered as a whole.
thing than of considering the possible  It is formally egoistic in that person’s
consequences. normative reason for choosing
Meditative Thinking - involves particular actions stems for the idea
something much deeper than that he must pursue his own good or
practical calculation, and it takes flourishing.
much more effort tells us why we  It also implies a divine state of being
should do or should not do a thing, that humanity is able to strive toward
beyond the simple calculative and possibly reach.
process of actually doing it  Happiness is “doing well” and “living
Meditation is not limited to well”.
expanding on calculation, and it  It is a pleasant state of mind.
does not necessarily have to have an
end product, as does calculation.
Human Flourishing
 It is defined as an endeavor to
achieve self- actualization and
fulfillment within the context of a
larger community of individuals.
 This also means access to the
pleasant life, the engaged or good
life and the meaningful life.
 It requires the development of
attributes and social and personal
levels that exhibit character strengths
and virtues that are commonly
agreed across different cultures.
Aristotle
Epicurus
 There is an end of all the actions that
 Eudamon a life of pleasure maintains
we perform which we desire for
that life of pleasure coincides with
itself.
the life of virtues.
 Flourishing is the greatest good for
 He understands Eudaimonia as a
human endeavors and that toward
more or less continuous experience
which all actions aim.
of pleasure and also freedom from
 The good is what is good for
plain and distress.
purposeful and goal-directed
 Virtue is only instrumentally related
entities.
to happiness.
He presented the various popular
conceptions of the best life for human Happiness = Pleasure
beings. Socrates
 A philosophical life  He believed that virtues such as self-
 Life of pleasure control, justice, courage, wisdom,
 A life of political activity piety and relate qualities of mind
and soul are absolutely crucial if a
person is to lead a good and happy
life
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  Virtues guarantee a happy life –
Eudaimonia
The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in
seeking more, but in developing the capacity to
enjoy less.
Plato
 Eudaimonia depends on virtue
(arete) which is depicted as the most
crucial and the dominant constituent
of eudaimonia.
Pyrrho
 He founded of Pyrrhonism, a school
of philosophical skepticism that
places the attainment of ataraxia (a
state of equanimity) as a way to a
achieve Eudaimonia
 Pyrrhonist practice is for the purpose
of achieving epoch.
Equanimity
 Mental calmness, composure and
evenness of temper, especially in a
difficult situation.
Virtue
 Is the moral excellence of a person.
 Morally excellent people have a
character made-up of virtues valued
as good.
 Example is they are honest,
respectful, courageous, forgiving
and kind.
 They do the right thing and don’t
bend to impulses, urges or desires,
but act according to values and
principles.
 Some might say good qualities are
innate, but we’re not perfect.
 Virtues need to be cultivated to
become more prevalent in life.
 With the habit of being virtuous, we
take the helm of our own life,
redirecting its course towards
greater happiness and fulfillment.
Aristotle’s 12 Virtues
 Courage – bravery
 Temperance – moderation
 Liberality – spending
 Magnificence – charisma
 Magnanimity – generosity
 Ambition – pride
 Patience – calm
 Friendliness – social IQ
 Truthfulness – honesty
 Wit – humor
 Modesty – ego
 Justice – indignation
When Humanity and Technology
Cross
“The idea that new technologies can
liberate us from the human condition is a
fantasy. In reality, the 21st century will
be all too human.”
- David Mattin
Human Robot Interaction
 Today, in the era of present
technology, robotics has become a
big part of our collective lives.
 Robots are utilized for their
knowledge, exactness and
interminable vitality to perform
assignments consistently and
profitably, that when performed by
people tends to create flaws.
 For instance, AI robots have already
started an enormous job in improving
waste administration and finding
distinctive approaches to handle the
waste issue endured by most
developing nations like India.
Indeed, the robot age has arrived.
 The possibility of robots may bring
to most minds the possibility of
androids like T 800 in the movie
“Terminator”.
 The vast majority of us are not able
to understand that a lot of robots
exist in the most basic forms today;
 They are not so much android but
rather moremlike industrial tools or
equipment.
 This implies the world would be
prepared for more smart intelligence
to be utilized in day to day
applications (Singh).
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 The Impact Of Technology On
Human Health
 Technology has crept into every
corner of our lives, form obsessive
texting to checking emails more
often. Most of us absorb three times
more information everyday
compared with 50 years ago.
According to University of California
researchers, we spend 12 hours in
front of TV and computers at home.
 Multitasking participants had more
difficulty filtering out irrelevant
information than those focusing on
one task at a time. Teens, however,
are emotionally more vulnerable to
the effects of rampant texting and
online sharing. According to a 2010
Nielsin survey, we send and receive
text messages 3, 339 times a month
(Deodhar).
The Future Of Humanity: Extinction
(Bostrom, 2009)
 An estimated 99% of all species that
ever existed on earth are already
extinct (Raup , 1991). There are
different ways in which human
species could become extinct:
Primarily, by transforming or
evolving into one or more species or
by merely dying out without any
replacement or continuation.
 Our species has survived
earthquake, volcanic eruption,
typhoons and other natural
phenomena for tens of thousands of
years. Nowadays, one of the utmost
extinction risks arise from human
activity.
 For instance, Advances in
biotechnology might make it possible
to design new viruses that combine
the easy contagion and mutability of
the influenza virus.
 A dreadful pandemic with high
virulence and 100% mortality rate
among infected individuals could
possibly will terminate human
species.
 Additionally, an all out nuclear war
between Russia and the United
States might be an example of a
global catastrophe that would be
unlikely to result in extinction.
Recurrent Collapse
 This means that the human condition
will reach a kind of status, either
instantly or after undergoing one or
more cycles of collapse
regeneration. Human civilization may
endure catastrophes that prevent it
from moving beyond a certain level
of advancement.
 It also requires a carefully
calibrated homeostatic mechanism
that possesses the level of civilization
restricted within a relatively narrow
interval.
Plateau
 Human civilization may reach a level
of technological advancement
beyond which no further
advancement is feasible. Predictions
that life span can be greatly
increased have depended in part on
the apparent decelerations and
plateaus.
Post Humanity
 People have developed significantly
different cognitive abilities,
population sizes, body types,
sensory or emotional experiences or
life expectancies. Post humanity has
established itself as a label for a
form of human existence radically
transformed by the most advanced
medical techniques and by the use of
biotechnology and nanotechnology
for human enhancement.
Why Does The Future Not Need Us?
 Technology is changing our world at
an overwhelming pace. Most people
are deeply involved with technology.
They tend to be ever optimistic about
its prospects and persistently eager to
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 adopt and promote it. Many focused
their optimistic remarks on health care,
food, energy, environment, education,
economy and agriculture.
 In the span of a few short years, social
media, mobile devices and internet
have transformed how we
communicate and get information
about the world. Rapid advances in
science and technology foreshadow a
world that can displace some forms of
human labor.
 In addition, nearly everyone
expressed concerns about the long-
term impact of new tools and
techniques on the essential elements of
being human. However, many shared
deep worries and trepidation about
the danger brought by rapid
technological change.
 It is of course true that no one can
predict the future. The key variable in
understanding the future is rarely
technology alone, but how humans use
it, perceive it, and adapt to it.
C.S. Lewis
 Argued that humanity, so – called
power over nature “turns out to be a
power exercised by some men over
other men with Nature as its
instrument’.
 He feared that modernism and its
ability to explain away everything but
“nature “would leave us emptied of
humanity. All that would be left is our
animal instincts.
 The choice we have to see humanity as
a complex combination of both
material and spiritual components or
else to be reduced to machines made
of meat ruled by other machines with
nothing other than natural impulses to
guide them.
 He also warned us of a society that
has explained away every mystery,
and the danger of what he calls “man-
molders which will be armed with the
powers of an Omni competent state
and irresistible scientific technique.
Francis Fukuyama
 According to him, there are three
possible scenarios for the near future.
 First, the genetically enhanced
intelligence or the prospect of living
longer lives free from genetic disease.
 Next, advance in stem cell research
might soon allow us to regenerate any
tissue in the body.
 Lastly, the widespread use of
psychotropic drugs like Prozac and
Ritalin that can make everyone happy
without the side effects of the drugs.
Jacques Ellul
 Warns that as technological
capabilities grow, they results in
countless means to accomplish tasks
than ever before.
 The more dependent we become on
technology, the more it conforms our
behavior to its requirements rather
than vice versa.
William Gibson
 Who coined the term “cyberspace”,
has said the ‘the future is here”- it’s
just not evenly distributed”.
 Some of the important changes in the
future will come not from a new
technology, but from a large number
of people having access to something
that already exists (scharre, 2017).
21st Century Technologies
 Genetic Engineering
 It is the process by which an
organisms’ genetic material is
altered or manipulated so that
the organism will have specific
characteristics.
 It has been applied in
numerous fields including
research, medicine, industrial
biotechnology and agriculture.
 It can be used in Cloning,
Genetically Modified
Organisms (GMOs), and Gene
therapy.
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 Robotics
 It is an interdisciplinary
research area at the interface
of computer science and
engineering.
 It involves the conception,
design, manufacture and
operation of robots.
Characteristics of Robots
 Robots all consist of some sort of
mechanical construction.
 Robots need electrical components
that control and power the machinery.
Types of Robots
 Pre-Programmed Robots (operate in
a controlled environment where they
do simple, monotonous tasks).
 Humanoid Robots (robots that look
like and/or mimic human behavior –
Sophia).
 Autonomous Robots (operate
independently of human operators).
 Tele operated Robots (mechanical
bots controlled by humans).
 Augmenting Robots (either enhance
current human capabilities or replace
the capabilities a human may have
lost).
Applications
 Military Robots (to search, rescue and
attack).
 Industrial Robots (IBM keyboard
manufacturing factory in Texas).
 Collaborative Robots or Cobots
(intended for direct human robot
interaction within shared space).
 Construction Robots (robotic arm and
robotic exoskeleton).
 Agricultural Robots (closely linked to
the concept of AI-assisted precision
agriculture and drone usage).
 Medical Robots (da Vinci Surgical
System and Hospi).
 Kitchen Automation (Rotimatic,
flatbreads baking, Frobot, frozen
yogurts).
 Robot Combat for Sport, Domestic
Robots (Roomba vacuums the carpets)
 Nanobots (Kinesin uses protein
domain dynamics in nanoscales to
walk along a microtubule)
 Swarm Robotics (disaster rescue
missions, target localization and
tracking, simultaneous localization and
mapping, cooperative environment
monitoring and convoy protection).
Nanotechnology - It is the study and
manipulation of atomic or molecular scale to
improve or even revolutionize many technology
and industry sectors.
Artificial Intelligence
 Refers to “machines” that respond to
stimulation consistent with traditional
responds from human, given the
capacity for contemplation, judgement
and intention.
 It is being used in health care, energy
development, finance, transportation,
aviation and telecommunications.
 It includes autonomous vehicles such as
drones and self-driving cars, playing
games such as chess or Go, search
engines such as Google search, online
assistants such as Siri, image
recognition in photographs, predicting
flight delays and medical diagnosis.
 Methods and Goals in AI: The symbolic
(or top down) approach-seeks to
replicate intelligence by analyzing
cognition independent of the biological
structure of the brain in terms of the
processing of symbolic label. and the
connectionist (bottom-up) approach-
involves creating artificial neural
networks in imitation of the brain’s
structure.
Alan Turing
 Established the fundamental goal and
vision of artificial intelligence. It is the
attempt to replicate or simulate human
intelligence in machines.
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Norvig and Russell

 Defined Artificial Intelligence in four

approaches.
 Four Approaches:
1. Thinking Rationally
2. Thinking Humanly
3. Acting Rationally
4. Acting Humanly
Potential Risks to Society
 Devaluation of humanity
 Decrease in demand of human labor
 High costs of creation
 Ethical issues
 Social isolation
 Environmental Problems
List Of Emerging Technologies That
Will Shape Our Future
 Electric/ self-driving cars
 Robot butlers
 Flying cars
 Space tourism
 Colonization of other planets
 Wearable screens
 3D printed Food and Metal
 5G-6G connectivity
 Re-engineering and Recycling
 High-rise farms
 Lab-grown meats
 Robot soldiers
 Roads over rivers and seas
 Holography
 Body implants prosthesis

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