Sydney Smith 
Denysha Taylor This clip is from I,robot. It touches on the differences between humans and machines and animals.
Julien de La Mettrie is known for, L’Homme Machine, which calls man a machine. He sees man as mechanical because if we were not educated and did nothave our own language then we would resemble other animals. Especially due to a primate’s brain being about the size as ours. He also drew three conclusions. The first is the fiercer the animal the less brain they have. The second is the brain increases in size in proportion to the gentleness of the animal. Lastly the miore one gains in intelligence the more they lose instinct. Animals have made losts of advancements themselves like being able to learn tricks and memorize tunes. In the clip it was even said that dogs could dream, and we know that they can feel emotion. So yes I admit we are similar, but we are different. We have reflexes and process our brain goes through in order to regulate our emotions whereas dogs don’t. Ever pass by a yard and a dog wouldn’t stop barking at you?
In the clip Will’s Character says that robots don’t feel emotions, yet Sonny (the robot) gets very angry. They can turn music into a symphony or paint into a masterpiece. I believe that is what sets humans and robots as well as animals. We have these deep longings that we can’t even figure most of the time. We have purposes and callings and we have this innate motivation to want to help others, but also are selfish like animals sometimes. (However we feel more happiness usually when we help someone thanks to dopamine.) Anyways our talents and the way we communicate with each other sets us apart than just animals or machines. Our imagination sets us apart!
I honestly think this could go under fall or redemption because I think the difference between humans and machines or animals shows how we were created much differently. It also shows how barbaric we can be sometimes. Another thing Mettrie said was that he noticed when men ate raw meat they were more barbaric. So if I had focused more on the barabaric nature of men like in the prehistoric history it could have went under fall. Since man’s main purpose was to hunt and marry, and have the strongest offspring. There are lots of tribes in Africa among other nations that we would find barbaric, but we don’t see them as less human.
Rachel Easley
1:27 pm, 10.04.13
Hey Irene 🙂 I enjoyed the simple, readable language of your blog post. You are so honest and real. I also liked your point that there are plenty of people in countries in Africa who conduct their lives and affairs differently but they are equally human and equally valuable as human beings. Just because we do things differently does not make you less of a person. I also think it is very true that our nature is constantly waging war within us. Some days I want to be selfless and loving, while other days I fight my calling and purpose and seek to only please myself. Insightful and heartfelt- you are a joy!
Anna Pierce
4:52 pm, 10.04.13
It’s cool how you made the point of seeing things as barbaric, but not less human. Good points. You argued well and I think it is great how you came to your conclusions.
Lindsay Lowe
11:38 pm, 10.04.13
Irene, I liked your example of the clip and thought it tied in well with your point about redemption. Good post!
Kasey Morgan
3:46 pm, 10.06.13
That is one of my favorite movies! I love the connection you made with his ideas. I think it is very hard to determine what theories fit into which categories sometimes. They can be right on the line of two, which in this case, I think you did a great job of trying to unravel that!
Denysha Taylor
9:55 pm, 10.07.13
I love that you brought another psychological/mechanical element in here, perfect for Mettrie. I actually think that addition creates an interesting contrast. Mettrie believed our lack of humanity makes us more similar to animals, but in actuality there’s really no telling what it would make us. Lack of emotions very well could make us tamer like a robot instead of wild like an animal. People with autism have consistently been compared to robots because some hardly show emotional responses to social interactions. Over the years, philosophers have had the assumption that animals are a human’s basest form. But maybe that’s because it was the only comparison they were capable of making. Many of the thinkers we’ve discussed so far have had no idea that technology could advance that way that it has or seen the predictions we entertain.