Topic Ten

Lecture- In the Lecture, we watched a movie called Blade Runner, starring Harrison Ford.
These are the reasons why I think we watched it for New Communication Technologies.
First, because Technology and computers have the potential to go so far that we could create androids, beings with such emotions that are equal to ours. Therefore, it branches off into issues of biased, the futuristic version of black against white, except that its Digital versus Human.
Second, because technology will, because its starting to happen already, be taken for granted and will involve all of our life in some way. It will be used for entertainment, for associating with each other, for fighting each other and for the every day needs of life such as housing, food and even sexual desires.
Third, it will either challenge our traditional ways of viewing each other and the world around us.

Tutorial- For this Tutorial, I am actually writing the summary of the Blade runner movie.
The movie is about how in the near future, Androids (Known as Replicant’s in the movie) were created with human intelligence and strong bodies. Of course, the newest types were so aware of themselves that they mutinied off on a far off planet. They were banned from being on earth and there are special police forces (known as Blade Runners) that will hunt and kill all those that arrive on Earth.
A group of four arrive on earth and Harrison Ford’s character is employed to kill them all.
The leader has arrived to find out one of the most desperate goals of all; how to lengthen a short life span which is coming to a close.
There is also a woman character who is also a new type of replicant, designed with memories so that she feels and thinks that she is a human. It shocks her deeply to find out that she is actually a replicant and that all her memories were from somebody else.

Readings- The reading is from T.J Legrice, known as “An exploration of what it means to be human.”
Cassells Concise Dictionary (1997) states that human means that it relates to humankind, having the qualities of humans and relates to humankind as distinct as God, animals and machines.
Therefore, Androids can be considered as humans if they show qualities, emotions and memories of real people. Those in Blade Runner have feelings, emotions, desires, goals, hopes, and knowledge of what is right and wrong.
Should these Androids be created in the future if they are identical to humans emotions if they are to be treated less than real people?
Will issues, violence and hatred rise in the future between mankind and technology because of mans arrogance of thinking they alone have feelings, needs and emotions? This has happened before, where white men have felt that black men didn’t have the same feelings and emotions as them.