Technology, industry and innovation by

A Wired article, pointing out that if we want to understand the nature and purpose of robotics, we must stop comparing them to humans.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:20:11 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE How does reframing the way we perceive an issue change our understanding of it?

KEY TERMS Human replacement, Envision

A BBC article, reporting on how scientists have used AI to help them discover a new antibiotic that will treat a deadly superbug.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:20:38 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE How significant is the discovery made by scientists from McMaster University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology? How was AI used to assist their work? Why will AI be so important in supporting scientists who work on finding treatments for hospital ‘superbugs’? Overall, do students agree that “the tools of artificial intelligence can be a revolutionary force in science and medicine”?

KEY TERMS Revolutionary force, Precision, Enhances the rate

A Conversation article, looking at 25 years of Google - and how we managed life before it existed.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:20:58 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Before Google, how was information about the world accessed, and what were the limitations with these methods? Why was Google so successful when it was launched in 1998? How is Google adapting to the rise of AI? What does the article mean when it refers to “the tensions between public access and increasingly powerful commercial entities”? To wrap up: Is it becoming more or less challenging to access information about the world?

KEY TERMS Open access to information, Human search engine, Complex, Revolution, Tension

An Aeon article, looking at whether it will be human brains, or algorithms, that will drive forward science.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:27:11 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Use it to explore questions such as: What drives the production of scientific knowledge?

KEY TERMS Understanding & prediction, Big data, Algorithms, Limits of understanding

A Big Think article, looking at the ethical and technical complexity of coding.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:28:15 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What role does coding play in the moral development of the epistemic community?

KEY TERMS Complex, Irresponsible.

A Vox article looking at the extent to which knowledge on the Internet should be based on open-access.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:29:37 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What is the relationship between the production of knowledge, and accessibility to data?

Key terms Academic paywalls, Open access

A Big Think video, in which Peter Schwartz discusses his work “think intelligently and thoughtfully about the future”.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:30:01 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What roles do imagination and collaboration play in helping Schwartz to make predictions about the future? Why does he use the case of missionaries in California to highlight what can happen when you apply your logic incorrectly? Why does he feel that fear of the future is one of the biggest problems that faces society today? Overall, what makes a good ‘scenario planner’ - and do students think they possess the necessary skills to become one?

Key terms Imagine, scenario planning, Ruthless curiosity, truth, data junkies, Failure of imagination, Collaborative

A Big Think article, exploring the extent to which dystopian sci-fi representations of the future undermine our ability to create more positive futures.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:30:10 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What examples does the article provide about popular culture representations of the future, and do these influence your imagination? Why did our vision of the future become defined by “radical pessimism”? What is the responsibility of the creators of popular fiction when it comes to the way we represent the future, according to the article? To wrap up: What do popular culture representations of the future tell us about the relationship we have with the present?

KEY TERMS Anti-anti-progress, Demoralization campaign, Countercultural hostility, Radical pessimism, Responsibility, Truth, Power

A Big Think article, looking at the different worldviews of Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, how this led to different concepts of quantum mechanics, and why this is still relevant today.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:31:28 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Focus on the two different worldviews featured in the article - that of Einstein and Bohr. How do they function as “maps for us human observers to make sense of reality”, and what directions do they both take us in? Finally, how does the article align with the famous painting by Magritte, “Ceci n'est pas une pipe”?

Key terms Worldviews, Rational vs. weird, Theories as maps

A BBC article looking at how ‘quantum sensing’ will allow us to completely revisualise the world, and transform the work of engineers, architects, and surveyors.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:31:35 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Do students think that we’re set for a revolution in how we understand reality?

A Vox article, considering the significance of Google announcing ‘quantum supremacy’ in computers.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:31:41 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Students can read about how that knowledge is being used to construct quantum computers, and think about the implications of this new generation of technology. What does it mean in terms of the way ideas are produced and communicated? Is the world as we know it about to be changed?

A Conversation article about how a quantum breakthrough in computing is affecting the way we understand physics and mathematics.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:31:52 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE How important are technological advances in helping us to produce new scientific knowledge?

Key terms Abstract theory, Real-world application, Trust

A Slate article, considering how the most significant modern borders are the ones that demarcate different brands of mobile phone.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:33:34 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What determines borders, and do they matter?

Key terms Borders, Globaloney, Transcend

An Atlantic article, exploring the recent outage of the Internet, and how it exposed the gap in our knowledge about the technology that surrounds us.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:33:50 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Use this story to explore Carl Sagan’s quote (which goes way back to the early 1990s) “We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.” Do students feel that this applies to them personally? Did the recent outage, discussed in the article, support this dissonance of knowledge? Are there obligations on us to develop more knowledge of the technology that surrounds us?

Key terms Overcomplicated, Gaps, Oblivious, Inscrutable magic, Humility

A Guardian article, looking at the thinking behind a 170 mile long city that will be built in the Saudi Arabian desert.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:34:08 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE See also the trailer here. How do the arts inform the way society develops over time?

Key terms Imagination, Dystopian, Mistakes of the past, Fantasies

A CNN article, exploring the designs for a new plane, which will have the largest wingspan ever.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:38:09 UTC

An MIT News report into a start-up which will pull carbon from the air.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:38:52 UTC

A Guardian article, looking at a Swedish startup that is aiming to help cities go green.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:40:09 UTC

A Guardian article, looking at a hyperloop test track being built in the Netherlands, and what it might mean for the future of travel.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-28 14:44:34 UTC

A Vox article, investigating the work of Elon Musk’s Neuralink company “to achieve a symbiosis with artificial intelligence.”

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-04-12 10:01:34 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What is Elon Musk’s end goal for his brain chip company, Neuralink - and why is he starting with technology that will help paralyzed people? What are the ethical and physical risks of these aims? What other companies and organizations are working on the same technology - and how do they compare to Neuralink? To wrap up: Is there a danger of our ‘final privacy frontier’ being breached? Should steps be taken to prevent that from happening?

KEY TERMS Clinical trial, Risks, Symbiosis, Ethical risks, Final privacy frontier, Brainjacking

A Guardian article, reporting on a UK supermarket’s use of eye-tracking technology to find what messaging encourages take-up of unpackaged fruit and veg.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-05-02 13:41:10 UTC

A Big Think article, examining whether smart cities controlled by big tech companies are really a good idea.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-05-02 13:41:24 UTC

A Big Think article, examining whether smart cities controlled by big tech companies are really a good idea.

theory_of_knowledge — 2026-06-08 10:19:45 UTC

Check out our key concepts here, which will help you to apply a critical thinking lens to this topic, and articulate your ideas about it. These concepts are highlighted.