Blog 1 : Dreyfus

I found the first twenty-six pages of Dreyfus very interesting. When I first started reading I was very skeptical of what he was saying, but the more I read, the more I started to agree with him. I agree with him that there are great limits to the internet because we can’t take our bodies into cyberspace with us. It is impossible for the computer to give us exactly what we want because it lacks our commonsense knowledge. Dreyfus tried to prove his points in chapter one by comparing the old library culture with the new hyperlink culture. He argues that the new hyperlink culture is not worried about what is relevant information, but rather it gives you as much information as possible. If you think about that, it is very true. When you type a search into Google, the majority of the websites it provides you with are not relevant to what you really need. I know for me and probably for most people, the reason we use online search engines is out of laziness. Why walk through the library and find sources when you can sit down and type out a few words and get tons of information? That is probably not the most efficient way in most cases because we often spend a lot of time sifting through the numerous sites trying to find pertinent information that we can actually use. However, I don’t think people are going to stop using the new hyperlink system over the old style. Technology has engulfed almost all of our society and it is only going to get worse. In class the other day someone mentioned the fact that you can get on the internet with no particular purpose or goal in mind and spend hours just surfing the net and not even realize it. It is funny to think about how much we depend on technology. I agree with Dreyfus that truly knowing a person requires commonsense knowledge, and face-to-face interaction. The ability to do that is being threatened by cell phones, computers, etc. and it will continue to have a large impact on our lives.