How Is Technology Changing the Way We Reason?

Estefanía Campos  | 07 de diciembre de 2018  | Vistas: 605

The capacity to reflect, reason and remember are the activities that define human action, according to Theodore Wold, who shares in this conference some thoughts on how technology is changing the way we reason. For him, this flooded information and our continued use of technology, the Internet, computer, smartphones, and text messaging is rewriting our brains, and in the process is changing the texture of our societies as well as our view of humans.

Theodore begins explaining basic concepts, like the types of reasoning, the biological things that differentiate us from other beings, aspects of human reason and how it is built in the superstructure of the human person.

Reason isn’t just an intellectual faculty”.

Then Wold shares how memory is a key component to our ability to reason and flourish, he questions if the great thinkers of all time would have been that smart if they would live today, because of the proliferation of information and the channels in which we receive it are not necessarily making us better at processing data, and therefore smarter.

In the process it’s possible to actually receive less information, despite how much more information is available.”

Wold also conveys on some research studies that proved that there are physical changes in the way the brain is able to focus and concentrate in different activities, so he says, it is actually possible to enhance our brain's ability to concentrate and absorb information. However, technology and the Internet, put efficiency and immediacy above everything else, weakening our capacity for the kind of deep thinking and reading that we should have.

Our online habits and the way we interact with information technology is having real and detrimental effects on our ability to do something so simple as think.”

Finally, he reflects on the important role of creativity in human life and concludes that even though technology has great advantages it also has these mentioned negative outcomes. Theodore says he is not against these forms of communication and human interaction that come with technology but invites the audience to question themselves. what skills are they actually bringing to the market? What can they do? What are they learning? What do they know? What can they demonstrate a capacity for doing? because these are the qualities that will actually make them stand out as professionals.

In this evolving world reflect with Theodore Wold, on how we are changing as humankind due to communication and information advances. 

Now we recommend you another conference by Wold on the topic: Information Technology Threats to Life.