In our reading from David Hume's Dialogues today, the speaker listed two characteristics of the world-machine which suggest a resemblance to human artifacts:
-the accurate adjustment of the parts of the world-machine to each other
-the 'curious' adapting of means to ends among those parts
Think of at least three different examples of everyday human artifacts (objects intentionally designed and produced by human beings) and explain how they exhibit these two characteristics. For example, we can see in the mechanical wristwatch the accurate adjustment of parts to each other when we notice that all the little cogs, springs and wheels are positioned so that they all fit perfectly in the space within the casings, without any of the little parts protruding or inhibiting the movement of the other parts. And all the little components are intentionally positioned in such a way so that when the parts move, that movement is regular enough to measure intervals of time, which is the watch's purpose (adapting of means to ends).
Here are some further links to explore:
-Design Arguments for the Existence of God
-Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Part II (Here you can read the full dialogue from which the paragraph we read in class was extracted, as well as some of the initial criticisms the other speakers level at this argument)
An example of this is the laptop. The laptop has many little wires and gizmos that make the laptop run. As well as the battery in the laptop and the proccesor. The purpose of this machine is to store infomation electronicly, and to surf the web, and to post of Walter's blog.
ReplyDeleteAnother machine that goes along the guidelines of the design argument is the microwave oven. It has many lamps and vents to create heat. There are no miscelanious objects sticking out of the side. Everything on the microwave oven has a purpose. The purpose overall for this machine is to heat food for a determinded amount of time.
Another machine that pertains to the design argument is, the car. Car is made up of many different types of gears, wires, tubes, motors, axels, etc. All of the components in a car are important to the function of the car, nothing is useless. The function of the car is to transport people to a certain place.
Frank Punzi
One invention is a computer it helps people with many thing sin today's society. It gives people a job and it helps people connect with their friends over the internet. A computer can also help finding out facts for a project at work or at school. A computer needs all of its little things inside of it to work. Computers help people everyday with work to just having fun like watching a video or talking to your friends. I think that we were curious to see if we could make something so helpful like a computer. And the people who made a computer did a very nice job with it even though ist has been modified over the years.
ReplyDeleteA phone has changed so much since it was first invented. At first it was just something that you could call your friends on rather than having to go and get them you could just call them. Then many years later a cellphone came out to allow people to talk to anyone at anytime and anywhere. Now cellphones help people when they are in danger and need help. Cellphones need a good network for it to work. The phone may have all of the parts working, but the cellphone network may be terrible. That would mean that you could not call anyone. A cellphone was something that people have wanted to do since the start of time. People have wanted to call their friends where ever they are.
A car is also a machine that needs smaller parts for it to run. A car helps people get from point a to point. Or you could just drive just because you feel like it, even though the gas prices are not that good people just drive. Driving is faster than walking so it is better than walking from place to place. Every piece of a car has to be working to allow it to move. Everybody wanted a new way of transportation rather than walking from place to place.
A lawnmower can be an example of the design argument. After gaining the necessary fuels of gas and oil to operate, the blade spins at a very fast rate while other objects such as the motor help produce this task. Nuts and bolts hold everything in one unified piece. After all the parts finish their job, a goal is completed; a freshly cut lawn.
ReplyDeleteA bike can be a second example of the design argument. A frame is the base of the machine. Handlebars are the steering device, the pedals push force to move, and the tires make it possible to accelerate. With a successfully built bike, all the parts cause to bike to ride smoothly.
A vacuum also represents the design argument. Tubes, bags, and a hose make the focus possible to clean a floor of debris. The machine is so well designed that with every click of the power button, no faults can be found.
One item that exemplifies these two qualities is a television. There are so many wires and lights that it's impossible for someone like myself to imagine how it all fits together. The pieces do fit together, though, and through electrical signals in the wires, the lights are lit up in certain sequences so as to form pictures that are familiar and have meaning to people, thus completing their goal.
ReplyDeleteAnother example of these qualities is a telephone. Telephones also function using electricity. The vibrations of a person's voice trigger electrical signals that then replicated the vibrations on the receiving end of the call. Thus, the goal of allowing one person to talk to another from a large distance is completed.
A third example is a very simple mechanism; a butter churn. The pieces are adjusted to each other in such a way that the long, round handle fits perfectly through the lid on the top of the churn. On the end of the handle is a "dasher," the item that mixes and mashes the contents. As a person moves the handle and attached dasher up and down, the goal is achieved and the butter, or soon-to-be butter, is churned.
An item that would show these two qualities is a remote. When you open a remote, you see the motherboard, the wires and buttons and other various screws and things. For the remote to work, the maker has to fit everything into place perfectly so that when the remote is in use it does what it is supposed to do. If the remotes wires were crossed or put in the wrong way, well then when you try to change the channel, the volume might go up but because the makers put the remote together accurately, it doesn't.
ReplyDeleteAnother example is a clarinet. When someone made the clarinet, they put it together so that all the keys would fit over the holes and produce the right sound. He or she also made a key that when you press it, the entire instrument goes up an octave, For that to work, I'm sure the creator had to mess around with it a couple of times but he or she had to make the instrument the right length and put the keys in the right spots. This ended up making a beautiful sound.
A last example would be a microwave. A microwave has so many parts to it. It has the buttons that you press, so you know how long the food is going to be in the microwave, the voltage has to be high so the food actually gets heated up and there are so many wires and screws that go into the microwave so that it works properly.
One example is an iPod. iPods have all sorts of parts to them that allow them to hold files like music, videos, and pictures. They have buttons to control volume and to turn them on and off. The screen of the iPod is to see which song you are selecting or to watch a movie or to view an image.
ReplyDeleteA simpler exampe is a chair. Chairs have legs to elevate them off the floor to a comfortable (or sometimes not so comfortabe) height. Chairs have a seat for a person to sit in, sometimes with a cushion for more comfort. Chairs also have a back to support a person's spine while they sit.
My final example is also a very simple object: a pot. Pots are shaped in such a way so that they can hold they food you are cooking without spilling it. They are made of fireproof materials so they don't catch fire while you are tryin gto cook. Pots have one or sometimes two handles so they can be picked up and moved. Some kinds of newer pots are made of certain materials that allow them to work on induction stoves.
for starters, a human artifact is something that was specifically made and designed by humans. In the world we live in most, if not all everyday things are examples of human artifacts. Take the computer that you're using right now (or phone, or page, or whatever). A lot of people had to work in order to make it work the way it does.
ReplyDeleteIt is very easy to compare human artifacts with the world. Of course something may look horrible but it is actually a very delicate ecosystem. Everything is connected. It's like the rainforest. You change one thing, even the tiniest bit, and the whole rainforest dies!
If something like that happens, what you're using right now might not work anymore. your computer could fall apart. your phone could explode. your paper could crumble. This could be the same way with the world. You don't want the rainforest to die do you? I don't think so
all items made are complex in design.a phone is an example. a phone is complex in design. we can text, chat, and talk to other people. but what makes all of this work? the way that the components are pieced together help with that. there needs to be a certain way that the inside of the phone has to be organized for it to work. the same goes with a computer, and a TV. if we wanted to watch TV, we press a button on the remote to control what show we want to watch on the air.
ReplyDeleteA stapler has this property. What with the springs, the holder for the staples, and the mechanism for firing them, the degree of accuracy to which the parts must be fitted together is immense. They all work together in order to propel a staple into a stack of paper and then bend it shut.
ReplyDeleteA fan also has this property. What with the whirring blades inside, the arrangement of electric wires, and the slats on the front, the precise positions of the various pieces are very important. Without them, the fan would not do it job, which is to move air.
Finally, a door has this property. The hinges must be perfectly alligned, the doorknob must work properly. Only thencan it open properly.
One such artifact would be a computer, of any kind. A computer is a device with hundreds of specialized components, some of which are visually indistinguishable from others, yet serve different purposes, such as certain chips of semiconducting metals. With these subtle differences, the many components of a computer are able to work together for the goal of computing whatever task it is set to perform. Another would be a car, a device with many components, such as the wheels, engine, and wheel, but having the clear goal of transport in whatever direction is indicated with the steering wheel. Finally, a phone, which has components similar to those of the computer that, among other things, are used to communicate across long distances.
ReplyDeleteAn object that would meet these two criteria would be and engine in car. Its components from the piston to the spark plugs to the distributor( in older cars only) all work with each other and are designed to work together and are tightly pieced together getting a great amount of efficiency. All this is to spin a driveshaft with differing levels of speeds and amounts of torque. Another object would be a wind up toy. The components fit together perfectly with precision and are complex in their design. But what they do is so simply from spinning wheels to making music. Lastly one could be a paintball marker. The paint fits into the marker and is propelled just enough not to break the ball. The mechanisms that get this go from the trigger to the spring that opens the valve that lets the air, CO2, to nitrogen out of the barrel.
ReplyDeleteAn example of an object is like a cell phone it's such a small device with made with little wires and buttons it allows us to send text messages and rome the web and listen to music all in one device. Objects to this day are so up to date where if you update your phone by your self it changes the whole thing!
ReplyDeleteAnother example is an iPad they made this device as thin as possible with so it's also lite. This device can play music while you take a picture, or while emailing or updating status.
Another device is a vacume. The vacums today are so small and do such a big job, the objects that make the vacume is the air suctions and the bag and tubes with put the air sickroom the mess that happened would still be there. Or ifnyou dont have the bag but you have the air suction and tubes the Kessler that you were vacuuming would just get bigger and messier!
one example of an artifact is a car. the parts of a car are exactly put together to make the car run. if any part of the car that wasnt properly put together ther car wouldnt work. although many of us havent seen a car put together we can obviously assume an intelligent agent put it together.
ReplyDeleteanother example is as simple as a mechanical pencil. or any pencil for that mattter. the parts fit together perfectly in a way that allows a person to write and erase. a mechanical pencil is simple ebnough that we can take it apart and understand how the parts work.
-paige
One example of an artifact would be a motorized vehicle. the vehicle is designed to work to its best ability and exact calculations were needed to put it together. Through your knowledge of the world every vehicle you see had to have been created. But what about a transformer? like Optimus Prime? do we assume that an intelligent agent was behind his creation?
ReplyDeleteI'm rather an analog person. My first example of an artifact is a clarinet: one of the more complex of the western instruments mechanically speaking. This instrument has (in simplest form) nineteen keys, which are built to hold pads which when depressed seal toneholes on the instrument and lower the pitch. These keys have to be sprung exactly the right way and set at exactly the right height to work properly under the fingers, and the pads have to be adjusted perfectly so that they seal the toneholes completely. My second example is a camera. I am always amazed by the technical skill of a good photographer, but obviously a good camera is a part of that. With the proper adjustments, it serves to correct the amount of light which enters its aperture when it takes a picture. If the lens were not perfectly built, if there were scratches in the glass inside or if there were a dent in the lens casing, it would not work properly/at all. My last example, proving my belief in the argument for design, is the human. Very simply, man is designed very carefully as a well-oiled machine, and if even one part is slightly out of adjustment (and I will admit they very often are) man and man's society do not work properly.
ReplyDelete--Gareth Haynes