Theory of Knowledge - Course Companion for Students Marija Uzunova Dang Arvin Singh Uzunov Dang

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a literal level we can measure the scope ofOnby its reach: our robots have landed ontechnologyand reached the further vestiges of the solarMarsand our microscopes can now “see” at asystem,of half the width of a hydrogen atom.resolutionof radio programming are radiatingDecadesa hundred light years across, announcingbubbleexistence to anyone listening. But in theourof the size of our galaxy, the reach ofcontextbroadcasts is rather small—represented, fortheseby the blue dot in Figure 3.1. At a galacticexample,our technological footprint is tiny; and doesscale,I. ScopeI. ScopeI . S C O P Enot even register at the scale of our universe.broadcast signals into space in an expandingFigure 3.1How far human radio broadcast signals have reached into the galaxy59

I. Scopereach of human-made objects is alsoTheif only barely. The human artefactsinterstellar,from our home on Earth are the Voyagerfarthesttwo probes launched in 1977. Attachedspacecraft,each of them is the Voyager Golden Record, atosent to the stars and intended for anymessagethat might intercept it one day. Theintelligencecarry the cultural portrait of humanityVoyagersa technologically advanced civilization,asgreetings in various languages, naturalincludingmusic and images. The concept andsounds,of the record are every bit as interestingcontentsits engineering, an instance of technologyashow we understand and portrayreflectingback to ourselves. Follow the link toourselvesout more.findwe explore the scope of technologyBeforeconsider what we mean by the wordlet’swhich can refer to physical“technology”,(such as bridges), human activitiesartefactsas the construction of bridges) and(such(such as the engineering conceptsknowledgeterms: Carl Sagan AnnieSearchaeonDruyanshort film linked here tries toThesome of the cultural background ofcaptureGolden Record Project. From a present-daythepoint, the project provides a glimpsevantagethe spirit and values of the technologicalofof Western thought approximatelyenterpriseWhat might a project such as this look like if1.were started today?itDo you think it would resonate culturally2.be widely endorsed, or be met withandthese various types of technologies,supporttypes of communities emerge aroundvariousin which people play different roles.themfor example, what it means to be aConsider,native and in which ways this anchorsdigitalindividual’s identity and orientationan3half a century ago.doubt, disagreement and/or fear?Figure 3.2The Golden Record, attached to each of the Voyager spacecraft, is a 12-inch gold-plated phonograph record,containing sound and images from Earth (right) and a cover (left) containing instructions about how to “play” the recordand where it comes fromtowards the world.that guide the construction of bridges). To60

a literal level we can measure the scope of

On

by its reach: our robots have landed on

technology

and reached the further vestiges of the solar

Mars

and our microscopes can now “see” at a

system,

of half the width of a hydrogen atom.

resolution

of radio programming are radiating

Decades

a hundred light years across, announcing

bubble

existence to anyone listening. But in the

our

of the size of our galaxy, the reach of

context

broadcasts is rather small—represented, for

these

by the blue dot in Figure 3.1. At a galactic

example,

our technological footprint is tiny; and does

scale,

I. Scope

I. Scope

I . S C O P E

not even register at the scale of our universe.

broadcast signals into space in an expanding

Figure 3.1

How far human radio broadcast signals have reached into the galaxy

59

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