Preface
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): TrendBT
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018
In reflection on the nature of the scientific discoveries and then the engineering manifestations and technological implementations of the discoveries from science, the orientation throughout much of the scientific historical record remains the purposes and delights of human beings, even the miseries and pains.
With the modern technological waves with the replication of aspects of human intelligence placed in digital substrates and the work towards automation of human drudgery and, at times, creativity, the growth and breadth of human possibilities becomes even greater than at any other time in the history of the world.
We can develop a newfound sense of directions for human possibilities. One of those manifestations is in the increase potency in the not only the quality of potentialities before us but also in the ways to realize what we have in our minds onto the virtual world. A digital representation of our imaginations becoming ever-more real by the year.
With the improvements in the cost-access and efficiency of processing of computers now, we can see the development of a series of new media to help manifest our imaginary landscape. That technology comes in two forms, and others. The interest of TrendBT is an emphasis on the nature of the future technologies and the upcoming, and ongoing, developments in technologies of virtual and augmented reality.
The two technologies relevant for the young adult Millennial population are virtual reality, VR, and augmented reality, AR. The contents of this text amount to the news and educational items from TrendBT meant for furthering not only knowledge of but also the educational content relevant to AR and VR.
Both AR and VR represent novel developments for the technological progress of humankind with applications barely even tapped and only part of the science fiction future of decades prior. Now, even though things can be grubbier because they are manifested in the real world, we live in the science fiction future prior generations dreamed about, of which we can see the new span of possibilities from a higher plateau.
The “what” of “what will come of AR and VR and associated technologies?” like most things with technology will depend on individual human choices for how to best use them for human purposes. As with any technology at present and throughout human history, the purposes of the technology were built around the options and conveniences that these provided for human wants and desires.
The same holds true now. The main question that follows from this need for furtherance of the discussion on AR and VR is what we want to do with this newfound technology and how we want to build them around human wants and desires. Something like a Utilitarian ethic found in John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor Mill would help quite a lot in guiding the purposes of the technologies for the needs and whims of human beings.
Those that expand human horizons and do not limit them. The means by which all human beings can increase their emotional and cognitive reach beyond the mundane, so that the future generations only children now could realize that greater vision of possibilities that
are only in our dreams now, in our imaginative landscape. One which is very different from the prior generations’ imaginative landscape.
The idea of the creation of an entirely new visual and tactile landscape to even elicit real human passions and emotions, sensations, to mimic, in real-time, the movements of the human body and the nuances of the human face such as a grimace, disdain, a smile, joy, and perplexity was completely beyond the imaginations of those who have gone before us.
It gives us a tremendous power and capacity to change our vision of the future in a conscious way. Some are already realizing this and working to develop a human-friendly future with the positive and well-being increasing use of artificial intelligence. It is the same orientation of moral outlook.
How is this going to optimize wellbeing for as many people as possible? How will an expanded vision of human possibility build into this ethical framework? What will most efficaciously bring this about for our shared future, as the geographical landscape of the world continues to close and become tighter in terms of the length of time that both physical bodies and communications between two points is reduced?
Multiply that increase in spatial and informational efficiency over the total and increasing number of people in the world. You can then develop an idea of the power of technology now compared to the past, and the present to any of a number of possible futures.
TrendBT is doing its part in informing some of the current young population in order to produce some serious thinking about the possible positive futures for AR and VR technologies, e.g. entertainment, training of medical professionals, virtual dancing lessons, and so on.
As what prior generations did the to set the groundwork for our present, we too are setting the precedent for the future world now, where this will take us depends on what we do now. Education is always a part of that process, for a shared positive future.
License
In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.in-sightpublishing.com.
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