Final Exam

1) My very first post was a post about the film Koyaanisqatsi. I can tell by reading my post and by remembering my initial reaction to the film that I did not completely understand the film or the point of watching it. The first time I saw Koyaanisqatsi at the beginning of the semester I thought the movie was just a whiny portrayal of "technology ruining our world." However, looking back, I now think of the film as intelligent, unique, and as a possible vessel to promote change. Seeing the scenes in the film made me more aware of what technology is doing to our world and to our environment. It is crucial for people to see what is happening to nature and to human relationships due to our obsession with technological development. If human beings continue to be careless with the use of technology, we will eventually suffer major consequences. The second viewing of Koyaanisqatsi was beneficial because it allowed me to notice things or ideas I had not noticed the first time, such as the atrocious chemical reactor on the beach. It did not truly strike me the first time; however, the second viewing allowed me to see the disgrace it has put into nature.
2) The other post that I now view in a different light is my reaction to Borgmann. Out of all the philosophers we've studied throughout this course, Borgmann is the one that I can truly understand and relate to the most. At the beginning of the semester; however, I found Borgmann to be annoying and completely old-fashioned. I assumed from the readings that Borgmann was against all technological development and that he wanted to regree to ancient times; however, upon clarification by having discussions in class, I have come to better understand Borgmann's thoughts and feelings. I agree with Borgmann in that technology is not necessarily bad, but that it can be used in negative ways. Technology can be a positive when it comes to areas such as medicine; however, technology can be extremely negative when it gets in the way of our social relationships and our experiences in the world. Borgmann addresses major areas of concern such as the disappearance of family meals and actual physical conversations. These important focal practices are being rapidly replaced by microwave convenience and Internet conversations. If we do not start to put greater emphasis on focal things and focal activities, the human identity and way of life is in grave danger. Another concern that I share with Borgmann is the growing "trend" of turning important things, such as education, into mere commodities to be bought and sold. I have a new found interest in what Borgmann has to say, which is a huge change from the beginning of the semester!