Hi everyone!
Your responses have been so engaging, thank you! For anyone who might have missed a module so far, take a moment to check out your classmates responses, I think it will help situate you in the conversation.
I like to start the semester with Science Under the Scope, because I think it unveils the reality in how our environments (not just natural, think social systems too) shape our reality. There might be certain truths we think are irrefutable (tbh I even challenge 1+1 = 2 because doesn’t 2 also signify a third, new thing?) but there is no way to separate our humanness and biases from the science we do, no matter how hard we try. I’ll keep offering examples through the rest of the semester.
So, what if instead of proclaiming neutrality, we embraced our subjectivity and crafted a new world entirely? As Wang alludes to, capitalism and whiteness will always be extractive and create unbalanced hierarchies; that is their function. Is there a way for people to experience abundance outside of these systems? What if we put our energies into crafting that type of world? There are people already working towards a world outside these rotting constructs. We can look to Black women and femmes who have been sharing with us Afrofuturistic dreams forever.
In Octavia Butler’s science fiction, there is room for disabled Black femmes, they are often the heroines. This isn’t a literature course, but I highly recommend reading any of Butler’s post-apocalyptic work where the systems that were in place failed and it’s up to the true innovators to create something new.
Okay maybe that was a bit of a tangent from our text, but it’s all connected. I had a friend come over for dinner a few weeks ago, they’re a designer, and they challenged me to think about how much my life is impacted by other people’s decisions. They said “look at your phone, Steve Jobs and his team designed that, what would you have done it differently?” The School of Poetic Computation (link) states that “poetic computation is a relational practice organized around communal study” and lecturer Olivia McKayla Ross poses the question: “what if software was made by people who love us?”
For this week, let’s finish up Science Under the Scope sections nine, ten, and eleven. And please respond to any two of the questions I posed to you in this module (lol I posed a lot). I want to hear from you!
Next week we’ll change gears a bit and look at some writing in the field of engineering so that we can practice the form.
Thanks everyone!
Is there a way for people to experience abundance outside of these systems?
By trading knowledge with people around the world which is how science developed overtime.
What if software was made by people who love us?
If software was made by people who love us, possibly the software will only benefit us who are loved by the developer. Other people will either be harmed or doesn’t get the same benefits intended to be given to us who are loved.
1. “what if software was made by people who love us?”
2. They said “look at your phone, Steve Jobs and his team designed that, what would you have done it differently?”
1. If the software were people who care about human they shouldn’t charge it. Instead they should help the society that can benefit us where human can learn each others.
2. I would done differently is to give the engineering all the details of the product I made to the world and make something even bigger idea.
What if software was made by people who love us?
If software was made by people who love us, Security and privacy wouldn’t be a huge problem as it is now, Security will always be a problem as long as the internet exists and further advances.
So what does it mean if a journal article looked more like this text that we’re reading and contained critique of the existing systems that are in place?
If a journal article looks more like this text and contains critiques of existing systems, it means that the author is taking a critical perspective and is seeking to challenge conventional ways of thinking. The author is questioning the validity or effectiveness of current practices and is proposing alternative approaches or solutions.
Is there a way for people to experience abundance outside of these systems?
One way that people can experience abundance outside of these systems is by trying to live a more self-sufficient lifestyle. People could try growing their own food and not contributing or involving themselves in our systems as much as possible.. By reducing their dependence on these systems, individuals can have less of a reliance on the need for its resources.
However, it is important to note that these alternative systems may not be feasible or accessible for everyone. They may require a significant investment of time, resources, and skills, and may not be viable to people especially in certain geographic or socioeconomic contexts.
What if software was made by people who love us?
If software was made by people who love us we wouldn’t have so much trouble with leaked information and hacking. Our privacy and protection would be the number one priority and after this it would be ease of use, accessibility and transparency. We are now seeing that every little thing is being sold apart even if it is part of one system. Like Apple’s chargers and I also think that would be different.
So, what if instead of proclaiming neutrality, we embraced our subjectivity and crafted a new world entirely?
This question is so deep and has a lot to be touched upon but at the surface and simply put I think this could impact the world positively as long as Humans don’t try to one u the other. If we embraced our subjectivity we would want the best and that would be the case for any subject. The downside is that humans for the most part are selfish, but if we could put this aside who knows what could happen (in a positive way).
What if software was made by people who loved us?
If software were made by people who love us, the world would be a better and safer place. The software made by those who love us would not have any aspects that would cause harm, anger, or envy. thus creating a more practical and effective solution to modern problems.
Is there a way for people to experience abundance outside of these systems?
In my opinion, I see no way for people to experience abundance outside of these unbalanced systems because, no matter what, at the end of the day, race still plays a major part in how we are judged and looked upon. The only way for us to experience abundance is if everyone is treated and judged the same way, which will never happen in this society.