Over the course of this semester we have had the chance to explore various topics of both philosophy and technology, and through discussions, papers, and readings we examined what each of those topics mean to us. I feel this helped me to not only grow as a writer, but as a thinker as well. When discussing questions during the philosophy portion of this course, I was encouraged to think outside the box, and look for answers that might not necessarily be evident at first. This helped broaden my mind, as well as my spectrum of ways in which to approach a topic. Following this, we ventured into the technology portion of the course, whereby we explored various emerging technologies, and the technological and ethical implications that they could have in the future. For example, one of my most favourite discussions from this semester is when we approached the topic of genetical mutations, and genetically altered babies/children. This is because, it was a topic that was very relevant in today’s society, while also being something that had the potentiality to be explored even further. Additionally, one of the highlights of the discussion itself was when we broached the topic of the ethical and social implications caused by genetically modified babies. For example, how it might result in the child’s relationship to the parents worsening, or it might lead to a society in which we view children as objects as opposed to humans. Therefore, by having such discussions where everyone had a different view on the topic, I was able to understand that there is not always a right/wrong when it comes to certain topics, simply because we either don’t understand enough about the limitations of the topic yet, or because the subject itself doesn’t allow for it. In the end, I was able to comprehend why we say “just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we necessarily should”.

 

My final project is a multimedia essay that focuses on the data, privacy and ethical implications of autonomous vehicles (AVs). It draws inspiration from various sources like Vox, Business Insider, and BuzzFeed, through the utilisation of pictures, videos and gifs in order to easier convey the topic to the reader. Over the process of writing the paper, I drew a lot of knowledge from my research paper itself. However, because I was also formatting it to a different audience, I needed additional sources that the readers to refer to as well should they want to explore the topic further in a simpler manner. The additional research also helped me understand how to simplify my language in order to make it easier for the reader to understand, especially because it was a much different audience compared to that of the research paper. The process of writing the paper itself was very interesting, and in certain ways more fun to write than the research paper itself. This is because, I was able to use a medium I had used before, in which there was a lot more creative freedom. Whereby, I could use videos, pictures and other medium linked directly into the project itself, that aided in the flow of the paper. In terms of the formatting for the project, I used the main paragraphs and sub-points from each paragraph, in order to construct the layout for the project. This allowed me to split up the project into different sections that would allow the reader to skip to a particular section if they wanted to learn more about that topic in particular. Furthermore, by approaching the project from this angle I was able to write each section independently, such that they could each stand by themselves, yet with an overall theme arching through them all.

 

One of the challenges that I faced when we moved to an online learning platform, was that I was having trouble keeping myself focused during class discussions. This is because, the only workspace within my house is in the kitchen, and therefore there were a lot of distractions going on around me, as people were constantly moving and talking. In order to try and work around this I used headphones when attending class, this did help me stay more focused on the discussions, however there were still times that I would lose track of what was going on. Additionally, because I was not able to consult with peers upon certain grammatical issues I faced during the drafting process, I ended writing multiple drafts of the same sentence in different formats, in order to decide upon one that best fit the sentence best.

 

Lastly, I will definitely be using the research skills attained from this class over the summer. This is because, I will be attending my online classes for Questrom where we will be focusing a lot on the ethical implications of business decisions. Therefore, having already attained a basic understanding on how to conduct research, I will be able to develop on it even further with another subject/topic in mind. Furthermore, I have come to greater appreciate the experience of in person classes, and being able to discuss topics with people in person. This is because, when talking to people in person it is easier to convey points, and shift your arguments as you can clearly see their response to the discussion. Although this is still possible during video calling, I feel like the experience itself isn’t the same. Moreover, I have learned the importance of needing to separate work, and personal life. The reason being, instead of now working from 8am to 4pm every day, with the evening being used to finish up homework and the rest being dedicated to personal time. I am now experiencing a life whereby there is no barrier between the two worlds, which has led me to work non-stop some days with no breaks, or watch Netflix non-stop without working. This has led me to be less productive/efficient with my work overall, and led to a greater appreciation for the “barrier” created while attending in person classes.