Directions: Read the opening passage, which will give you basic information about your topic. Once finished, look at the three perspectives about this topic and consider these ideas. Finally, look at the “Essay Task” at the bottom to respond to this topic. Your final response essay should be 3-5 paragraphs in length.
Machines vs. People
Many of the goods and services we depend on daily are now supplied by intelligent, automated machines rather than human beings. Robots build cars and other goods on assembly lines, where once there were human workers. Many of our phone conversations are now conducted not with people but with sophisticated technologies. We can now buy goods at a variety of stores without the help of a human cashier. Automaton is generally seen as a sign of progress but what is lost when we replace humans with machines? Given the accelerating variety and prevalence of intelligent machines, it is worth examining the implications and meaning of their presence in our lives.
Perspective 1--What we lose with the replacement of people by machines is some part of our own humanity. Even our mundane daily encounters no longer require from us basic courtesy, respect, and tolerance for other people.
Perspective 2--Machines are good at low-skill, repetitive jobs, and at high-speed, extremely precise jobs. In both cases they work better than humans. This efficiency leads to a more prosperous and progressive world for everyone.
Perspective 3--Intelligent machines challenge our long-standing ideas about what humans are or can be. This is good because it pushes both humans and machines toward new, unimagined possibilities.
Essay Task
Write a unified, coherent essay in which you evaluate multiple perspectives on the respective roles of machines and people. In your essay, be sure to:
analyze and evaluate the perspectives given
state and develop your own perspective on the issue
explain the relationship between your perspective and those given
Your perspective may be in full agreement with any of the others, in partial agreement, or wholly different. Whatever the case, support your ideas with logical reasoning and detailed, persuasive examples.
Assignment
Time yourself for no more than 90 minutes
Respond to the prompt above and write an essay. Turn this in.