Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Brain Scan
Brain scan technology is the craziest advancement in science that I've seen in a long time. The actual image of a woman literally being plugged into a computer was astounding. I had no idea we were already at this level of technology that we can now understand the impulses of the brain so specifically, that we can tell what a person intends to do moments before the body responds. I'm not sure how much farther we can go with this, if we can eventually know what someone is thinking or seeing. If we ever got to that point, we would have some serious ethical questions on our hands (I imagine our government would use this as a tool to force information out of people), but for now I see this as an incredibly useful tool to people who have lost control of some or all of their body.
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I don't think that we could ever be able to know what something is thinking by reading brain scans, but this technology is still extremely progressive and valuable.
ReplyDeleteSee Surrogates, the movie. It really takes the brain scan technology to the next level and shows the various ways it can be used-- good and bad!
ReplyDeleteThat was one of the images of that video that will stick with me for a while. To see the doctors literately insert a power cable into her skull was surreal. That also makes me think how important it is to consider new technology aesthetically as well. There are serious connotations with seeing a woman plugged into a computer than I can pretty safely say are not positive.
ReplyDeleteI like how you phrased brain scan technology as a tool....something we can implement for those who need it and I think thats how it needs to be positioned so it doesn't have this awful reputation. For those that use it for medical purposes it is extremely valuable: as a tool.
ReplyDeletebran scan technology will work like veritaserum from harry potter! ha!
ReplyDeleteYup, viewing it as a tool is the right way to go about discussing this type of technology. There is nothing inherently moral or immoral about it, it's all about the implementation.
ReplyDeleteThe thought of using a machine to decipher what someone is thinking or seeing is terrifying! I have this freaky vision of a future where cellphones/blackberries/whatevers will have a mind-reading application... you simply point the device at someone's head and their thoughts appear in writing on the screen.
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