Fellow cogitators and Cogitatresses:
Many science fiction writers - and more than a few philosophers and theologians - have pondered the question of what might happen if we created machines which are smarter than humans. I submit that a much more urgent and immediate question is to what extent we humans have ALREADY created machine-systems which, absent human intention, "behave" in ways that expand and extend machine-power to the detriment of human well-being. Our pre-occupation with divining "intent" ought not blind us to plainly obvious effects which emerge absent intent. Those of you who know me will not be surprised by the example I offer. I doubt there are more than a handful of motorists who specifically INTEND to make the "ecosystems" they occupy unsafe, impractical, and unpleasant for non-motorists. Perhaps very few executives at car companies, oil companies, tire companies, or road-building companies have intended this. Ditto for departments of transportation or other public entities. Ditto for developers, builders, business owners. But intentions are irrelevant; it is facts on the ground that matter. And what we have here in these United States are countless "communities" where almost everyone drives almost everywhere - communities which are, therefore, hostile ecosystems for those who cannot drive and those who prefer to not drive. If you want to get around by yourself in a wheelchair, you would not choose to live at 5134 Reynolds Avenue in Waunakee (actually the Township of Burke right next door to Governor Nelson State Park), Walkscore = 6. Nor would 702 Mclean Drive in Madison be much better - it's located east of Interstate 90/94 where transit service is poor and frequented destinations like grocery stores, schools, pharmacies, coffee shops, libraries, etc. are miles away (Walkscore = 14). No, you would choose to live in downtown Madison. Conversely, if you live at 5134 Reynolds Avenue or 702 Mclean Drive, you probably don't hesitate to drive to downtown Madison...and you would probably get mad if downtown Madison didn't have plenty of room for you to park your car. But if you are a wheelchair user living in downtown Madison, you would think twice about venturing out to 702 Mclean Drive. And you wouldn't dream of wheeling your wheelchair all the way to 5134 Reynolds Avenue, much less expect that the residents of that neighborhood would be willing to pay for wheelchair-friendly accommodations. This is a very lop-sided business. And if you are wondering whether this has anything to do with the Dane County Executive race, the answer is "yes"! All this leads to several ethical questions. (1) Are we-the-motorists willing to admit the unintended consequences of our motoring? (2) If so, are we willing to ameliorate them? I would say that the man who now sits in the Wisconsin Governor's office perfectly represents those of us who are in denial. Where we live, how we move, says a lot about how we think. Hans Noeldner <http://www.entropicjournal.blogspot.com/> www.entropicjournal.blogspot.com Oregon, Wisconsin 608-444-6190 "There is no resource so abundant that unchecked human appetities cannot deplete it. Civilization comprises our enlightened self restraint."
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