In his Presidential Farewell Address, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the American public, and by extension, the world, about the future role of the military-industrial complex if it was left unchecked. In the 21st century, the consequences of a quickly evolving military machine are being felt, especially with the recent developments in the field of robotics. The problematic issue, however, is the role of technology as a driving factor behind this revolution in military affairs (RME), and how it has been complicated by the threat of dispersion through the massive scope of the Internet. Japanese popular culture – no stranger to integrating technology in both an entertaining and critical way in its products – offers an interesting lens through which one can view these subjects. As such, this paper will analyze the effect of technology and scientific research in the application of violence by the state and by independent actors strictly in terms of human enhancements in Kojima Hideo’s Metal Gear Solid video game series, Kamiyama Kenji’s Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG anime series, and the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood anime series based on the manga by Arakawa Hiromi.
These series are well-suited for the theme in question because of their various presentations. Within them, one can find the fruits of technological innovations being used by and towards different types of actors: states, groups, organizations, factions, people on the fringe, resistance fighters, and so forth. Moreover, the worlds in MGS, FMA, and GITS encompass a variety of organic, synthetic, and combined life forms, presenting an era or transition rather than a fully mechanized alternative universe or fut...
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...om Laboratory to Open Conflict. Portland: Frank Cass, 2002.
Tonkens, Ryan. “The Case against Robotic Warfare: A Response to Arkin.” Journal of Military Ethics 11, no. 2 (2012): 149-168. Accessed November 18, 2013. http://0-www. tandfonline.com.mercury.concordia.ca/doi/pdf/10.1080/15027570.2012.708265 United Nations. Expert Group on the Study on Charting the Potential Uses of Resources Allocated to Military Activities to Civilian Endeavours to Protect the Environment. Potential Uses of Military-Related Resources for Protection of the Environment. New York: United Nations, 1993.
Yap, Christopher M., Kashihara Shigeru, and Yamaguchi Suguru. “Establishing Literary Merit in Metal Gear Solid: A close critical reading.” Meaningful Play 2012 – Michigan State University (2012). Accessed November 18, 2013. http://meaningfulplay.msu.edu/
proceedings2012/mp2012_submission_30.pdf
...Suzy. Remote Weaponry: The Ethical Implications. Vol. 25. N.A.: Society For Applied Philosophy, 2008. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. .
Singer, Peter W. "War Made New: The History and Future of Technology and Warfare." The Brookings Institution. N.p., 26 Oct. 2006. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
From the beginning, as technology casually began to integrate into our daily routine. A significant portion of society lived in constant fear of a possible uprising from an advanced robotic regime, which we built to serve us, which would rally together and enslave the entire human race. Well, probably not that many people believed this, nevertheless, the scenario has been depicted in popular media for several decades. This iconic list of nefarious antagonists includes HAL 90001, M52, Master Control Program3, Skynet4, and the demented little robot who dastardly ascertained the capacity to ‘love’, Wall-E5. A science fiction writer named Isaac Asimov, who was also popular for portraying this theme, became immortalized on the day his Three Laws of Robotics6 were published. The laws which were substantially influential on pop culture, were written as follows; (1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. (2) A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. (3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws7. The overwhelming success from the introduction of these laws unto mainstream media could be seen as a reflection of the subtle concern present amongst the general public when considering Artificial Intelligence (AI)8. Even Stephen Hawking laid out his extreme concerns recently, over the future of AI, by remarking "success in creating AI would be the biggest event in human history,[but] unfortunately, it might also be the last"9. However, computing technology, as it exists today, functions at only a fraction of the human brain’s capacity and it w...
Since the first day they met, everyone knew that Katie and Ted would stay together forever. He was always telling everyone how he loved her and that she was the perfect wife and mother. However, behind closed doors was another story. Ted was not a kind man in “his” house, he was verbally abusive and constantly accusing Katie of cheating on him. These fits of rage were promptly followed by flowers and apologies. Katie was abused by Ted, however, she did love him and he did promise never to hurt her again.
During a freedom march on May 29, 1964 in Canton, Mississippi a boy by the name of McKinley Hamilton was brutally beaten by police to the point of unconsciousness. One of the witnesses of this event, and the author of the autobiography which this paper is written in response to, was Anne (Essie Mae) Moody. This event was just one of a long line of violent experiences of Moody’s life; experiences that ranged from her own physical domestic abuse to emotional and psychological damage encountered daily in a racist, divided South. In her autobiography Moody not only discusses in detail the abuses in her life, but also her responses and actions to resist them. The reader can track her progression in these strategies throughout the various stages of her life; from innocent childhood, to adolescence at which time her views from a sheltered childhood began to unravel and finally in adulthood when she took it upon herself to fight back against racial prejudice.
but also in many ways glorified? Do we glorify boxing (most of the time bloody
Let's talk about absolutely ridiculous pronouncements people make that either ignore simple fact or border on insanity. How about this one: Violence is no way to settle anything! Evidence suggests that violence is a very effective way of settling things. How about a few examples? In 1776, violence settled whether the thirteen colonies would be independent or remain under King George's thumb. In 1865, violence settled whether there'd be a Confederacy and a Union or just a Union. Between 1941 and 1945, violence settled whether Japan would control the Far East and whether Germany would control Europe. Violence settled whether American Indians owned and controlled the land now call United States or whether it would be European settlers and their progeny. In fact, violence has settled the question of land use-rights virtually everywhere.
together not only in the time of need, but at all times and in every
Violence in America is becoming more of a concern to everyone in our nation. Among
In the year 2000 there are many problems with society. One of the biggest and most controllable is the issue of violence. Although we are subjected to violence everyday by simply turning on the news, other forms of violence for entertainment can be censored.
Science fiction never ceases to amaze me as I take great enjoyment in exploring these creative universes. I have always had a great interest in military science fiction for its take on technological innovation and critical analysis. Military science fiction in general is very speculative about future of technology and warfare. The military science fiction genre also serves as a critique of contemporary politics as it deals with many of the same issues that go on today. This has made military science fiction one if the most well respected genres of science fiction for it ability to indirectly criticize modern society. My Integrated Project explores the relationship between how technology that has arisen from war has been some of the most innovative and why war has become an unshakeable aspect of human existence.
Epstein, Richard. The case of the killer robot: stories about the professional, ethical and societal dimensions of computing. John Wiley and Sons. 1996.
Thoughout history acts of violence have been committed against humanity, based on evidence read in this course, the most targetted has been women and even more women of African descent. An act of violence, it’s consider both, to prevent someone other than one self from meeting the basic needs and spectrums represented as a form of crime, in which the actions victimizes somebody; physically, emotinally and mentally. The rise of violence intensified when colonizers conquered a New World, the lack of acceptance of different people, allowed White supremacy mentality to become a tool of subordination that worked in cycles and affected, first indiginous people and then African slaves.
Thesis statement: There are various social and political implications surrounding the use of lethally autonomous robots (LAR) as military weapons.
In regard to the military, these scientists believe humans are in the midst of an autonomous revolution for weapons.The transition in weapon type will increase possible harm to human lives. In an open letter created by a team of AI and robotics researchers, they explain that “autonomous weapons select and engage targets without human intervention” (Russell). If machines develop consciousness and free will, they will have the ability to harm anyone they want with any weapon equipped. The letter continues to state that AI weapons “are ideal for tasks such as assassinations, destabilizing nations, subduing populations and selectively killing a particular ethnic group” (Russell). These tasks relates to how some AI technology created by Hanson Robotics will possibly act similar to people with evil intentions of harm. Although Hanson Robotics have no plans to equip their products with weapons, the technology could fall into the wrong hands, such as terrorists or heads of black markets. If these types of people acquire the these robots with AI technology, they can give the robots weapons and program them to target any individual they would want. In order for Hanson Robotics to make AI technology available to the public, they need to add implications that prevent their technology from acquiring any type of