Ideas for a Research Paper

In my Liberal Arts class, we’re nearing the point of narrowing down and choosing our topics for the big research paper. At the moment I am torn between two ideas for the paper, the first one being an in depth reading of Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and the other focusing on the promise of the Internet being an excellent tool for communication but also holding the negative effects of reducing attention span, and promoting mental/physical health issues.

Philip K Dick is an engaging author. His imagination was incredible, though he was known to be a troubled person (there is strong speculation he had some form of mental illness). I’d like to analyze his work on “Do Androids…” and see if I can get to the core of the message he was trying to convey. I see this as a challenge because I so easily lose myself in science fiction novels. I tend to jump into the world and explore the fantasy within; the ingenious ideas for new tech, the way humans have changed their way of living and interacting, even the clothing (is it futuristic or old fashioned?). Sitting down and assessing the philosophical message will be an interesting and rewarding experience for me.

On the other hand, the Internet is something most of us use (heck you are probably reading this off the Internet right now) as it has completely infiltrated our lives. I am of the breed that remembers a time before every household had a computer, when the quintessential form of communication was the phone (not text message). At least then, the sounds coming out of your mouth was converted into electrical signals and reassembled on the other phone to produce your voice. Now communication has almost regressed to simple text (which as many of us know is extremely difficult to convey emotions through, hence the emoticon). I’d like to see the physical and psychological effects this important piece of technology has on our culture. Can we consider the benefits an agreeable price to pay for the potential detriments? Is this simply the ‘new’ way of things, and good or bad it simply will be what it is (our future)?

Both these topics interest me greatly as they each speak to different parts of who I am, the sci-fi/tech geek who loves reading about utopia/dystopian futures, and the Psychology student who is always searching for meaningful concepts relevant to our culture.

Edit 4/12

After some consideration I have decided to focus on Philip K. Dick and his novel. There is something compelling about his work that draws me in and I would like to explore the world he has created in “Do Anroids…”. I think there are a number of relevant to our time messages in this book (and other writings) and the fact that it was written in 1968 makes Mr. Dick that much more of an interesting topic to study.

Popular Science Fiction

Cosmology. What the hell is it? Let's keep the definition simple. It is the study of the Universe in it's totality, black holes, dark matter, dark energy, quarks and so on. What's the point to it? Simply to understand where we are, and where we come from. It is an incredibly complex and daunting project which no single individual (or group for that matter) can discover alone. It requires groups of scientists, researchers and even philosophers to tackle even the smallest tread of mystery surrounding the cosmic veil. A great deal of this is simply beyond the scope of understanding for the average Joe, but that doesn't make it any less awesome.

Yeah... I don't even know how to read the squiggly lines.

Space, being the final frontier (ahem, nerd) and being totally out of reach for the great majority of humans, is something that can't help but inspire awe and wonder inside of us. Did you know that for a very brief time in Earths history, people were absolutely sure of life on Mars? In the infancy of high powered telescopic viewing, scientists saw what the believed to be industrial irrigation pipes coming from the northern and southern poles of this planet, the ice caps, and spreading throughout the land. They immediately assume that alien life in Mars was confirmed and that this was their method for surviving on this harsh land. They released a statement and the papers read "Life on Mars confirmed". A day later, they cleaned the lens and found that dirt and scratches were to blame for the 'lines' they saw. When they looked at the planet again, they saw the same thing we see today, a red lifeless rock. It was an embarrassing time for science, but it gave birth to the classic martian stories that spawned countless movies. Science, although inaccurate, inspired science fiction.

I'm still holding out hope for a Martian Raygun to be found.

The ocean still has some of this mystique, though it has recently been drowned out through exploration and the finding that, well, it's kinda boring down there. People are no longer expecting to find Atlantis, and even if we do, the Mer-people living there are probably going to be pale with antennae and no eyes. It really kills the romance doesn't it? The love affair with the sky is still alive and well though. And the discoveries that Cosmologists and Theoretical Physicists are finding serve to fuel the imagination... when we can understand what they hell they are talking about. An example would be the show Firefly. This show used the concept of terra forming as an explanation for humans being able to colonize distant planets. The idea is, theoretically possible. Although our technology today is limited, there still exists a possibility that one day humans will be able to change the chemistry of a barren planet to a more hospitable one. The question that might plague some science nuts is ‘Even if we can do that, how the hell will we get to far off planets?’ Great question. The answer: Antimatter. A positron colliding with an electron produces a brilliant explosion that is visible and measureable with the right equipment (The Large Hadron Collider). What makes this interesting is that both a positron and an electron have virtually  no mass, yet it still is able to produce an incredible amount energy. One of the smallest, lightest things in the universe and it has the power to go BOOOOOM! There exists the theory that one day we will be able to harness this fantastic cosmic power and use it for the propulsion of space craft. Solving the riddle for moving faster than light is a different perplexing equation all together, but one that can be seen tackled in the recent Star Trek movie when Scotty says “It never occurred to me to think of space as the thing that was moving.” It would be hard to argue that you were surpassing the speed of light if you weren’t the one moving at all, wouldn’t it?

"Sir, we're not moving."

 "Yeah I know... and we've just arrived."

"... that was easy."

Science, although daunting, serves to help expand the imagination, and the imagination in turns helps scientist to see things in new and innovative ways. It is said the Star Trek: The Next Generation Episode where Data was simultaneously listening to multiple songs, inspired the inception of the MP3. The imaginative Holodeck on the same show has pushed the widespread use and research of holographic technologies (have you seen the holographic keyboard? So freakin cool!). Science has served to inspire me as it sheds light to the mysteries of the universe and with it, leaves the door open for imaginative interpretations of our existence. There is that saying, that ‘every story has already been told’, well with science, the more we know the more stories we’ll be able to tell.  

Location:Junction Blvd,New York,United States

LIB 200

My name is Brontis Shane Orengo. Yeah, like the dinosaur. I'm studying Psychology at LaGuardia Community College. I've had a love affair with this field since I was very young. I would often ask why people acted a certain way (bitchy) and why some seemed to change in personality due to social setting (all of a sudden you're a comedian). The intricacies of the human mind fascinate me to no end. That and Quantum Physics, but I feel a career in Psychology might be more personally fulfilling (and probably a bit easier).

I am hoping to study Human Factors Psychology with a focus on environmental design within community colleges in urban areas. These colleges often do not have the resources to secure, design and construct their own campus buildings, so they are left to work within the confines of a structure that may not lend itself to a comfortable academic setting. My commitment is to asses classroom sizes, acoustics, administration, temperature settings, and overall pedestrian flow to find problem areas that contribute to a negative college experience for students and professors, and find methods to improve these problem areas.

Because of my career path, I would have to impress the idea that I am both a science and humanities person. I wish to help students and faculty in community colleges, but I wish to do so through scientific means. I feel this is a natural union, and hold science and humanities both in high regard. My love for science may stem from my fascination with logic. I enjoy cohesion. As a silly example, I will offer this: in my childhood I was always more attracted to Star Trek than Star Wars. I felt the Federation had better ships than the Rebel Alliance. This is because the ships in Star Trek were always symmetrically proportioned while the ships in Star Wars had port thrusters that looked nothing like the starboard thrusters. It's a small complaint but it was enough for one franchise to win the loyalty of a terribly geeky child.

You might now be wondering if I have toys of the starships from the Star Trek universe displayed throughout my home. The answer is 'hell yeah' and they are model ships, not toys, though I do play with them from time to time, making whooshing sounds as they pass by. Yes, I am fully aware that in space there can be no sound and that FTL (faster than light) travel is impossible through the accepted Einstienian model (Geek!), but I enjoy having fun as much as I enjoy reading books on String Theory. Sometimes you have to be a kid. There is a refreshing psychology to that.

In space no one can hear you 'whoosh'

I feel that many people today are looking towards technology and science to answers just about all of our questions, even the philosophical ones. The intrinsically human question of 'why are we here?' seems to have been reduced to 'whatever, were all gonna die when that sun goes out'. Even the concept of God has been pitting as the polar opposite of science. One can witness this in the countless individuals who exclaim 'I believe in science, not god'. I have yet to understand how this statement works, as having an unwavering faith in an imaginary being can sometimes be akin to having the same type of faith in an ever illusive graviton particle. While this argument has many rebuttals, I'm sure, it is enough to say that science, in many ways, has become a new sort of god to people.

Is that you God?

The humanities may be seen differently. Through historical record, one can see the humanities as being an intricate part of our intellectual evolution. Lately though, it seems that the field has lost some steam. When speaking of Psychology, there are those who immediately correct the notion of its scientific properties by clarifying it to be a 'social science' (as they roll their eyes). One can only assume that the 'social' in front of the 'science' makes it that much less of an actual science. This is an argument that is difficult to refute, as a great deal of the science behind it comes from basic observation and testing. There is little math involved and it is unlike mapping the properties of atoms. My issue is that there often seems to be an incredulous attitude attached to the professional evaluation of many aspects within humanities. Philosophy is no exception. Try quoting Plato in a bar with some friends. You will almost immediately hear the sound 'blah blah blah' as your very supportive friends mock you for being snooty. Honestly, there seems to be very few places where one can quote philosophical work outside of an academic environment. It has almost become a subject for a more privileged pallet, which is terribly sad, as Philosophy is for everyone.
I think (with Philosophy as my tool), therefore I am (human).


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Location:Junction Blvd,,United States