Aspire or Expire: Super-Adaptable Agents and Problematic Innovation
Humans are unique as a species because, with the help of well-defined problematics, humans alone are capable of redefining reality. A problematic can be understood as an exceptionally-challenging intellectual objective (e.g., heavier-than-air flight, building the first atomic bomb, curing disease, l...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Hipatia Press
2013-03-01
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| Series: | RIMCIS |
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| Online Access: | https://hipatiapress.com/hpjournals/index.php/rimcis/article/view/411 |
| _version_ | 1818470470079479808 |
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| author | Timothy McGettigan |
| author_facet | Timothy McGettigan |
| author_sort | Timothy McGettigan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Humans are unique as a species because, with the help of well-defined problematics, humans alone are capable of redefining reality. A problematic can be understood as an exceptionally-challenging intellectual objective (e.g., heavier-than-air flight, building the first atomic bomb, curing disease, landing humans on the moon, developing artificially-intelligent computers, constructing faster-than-light speed spacecraft, etc.) that requires knowledge-seekers to invent new facts and redefine reality in order to achieve the hoped-for objective. Although scientists prefer to think that scientific inquiry is constrained to an exploration of empirical facts, in truth, scientific progress is often instigated more effectively by the pursuit of a compelling problematic—in many cases, even by science fiction fantasies (Shatner, 2002)—rather than by an examination of established empirical facts (McGettigan, 2011). As such, science has proven to be the most effective means ever invented by humans to transform fantasies into reality. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T21:38:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dbbcec8ac9404a0f855d89d316521c80 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2014-3680 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T21:38:25Z |
| publishDate | 2013-03-01 |
| publisher | Hipatia Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | RIMCIS |
| spelling | doaj.art-dbbcec8ac9404a0f855d89d316521c802022-12-22T02:28:52ZengHipatia PressRIMCIS2014-36802013-03-012110.4471/rimcis.2013.11Aspire or Expire: Super-Adaptable Agents and Problematic InnovationTimothy McGettigan0Colorado State University - PuebloHumans are unique as a species because, with the help of well-defined problematics, humans alone are capable of redefining reality. A problematic can be understood as an exceptionally-challenging intellectual objective (e.g., heavier-than-air flight, building the first atomic bomb, curing disease, landing humans on the moon, developing artificially-intelligent computers, constructing faster-than-light speed spacecraft, etc.) that requires knowledge-seekers to invent new facts and redefine reality in order to achieve the hoped-for objective. Although scientists prefer to think that scientific inquiry is constrained to an exploration of empirical facts, in truth, scientific progress is often instigated more effectively by the pursuit of a compelling problematic—in many cases, even by science fiction fantasies (Shatner, 2002)—rather than by an examination of established empirical facts (McGettigan, 2011). As such, science has proven to be the most effective means ever invented by humans to transform fantasies into reality.https://hipatiapress.com/hpjournals/index.php/rimcis/article/view/411Problematicagencyrealitysciencefantasy |
| spellingShingle | Timothy McGettigan Aspire or Expire: Super-Adaptable Agents and Problematic Innovation RIMCIS Problematic agency reality science fantasy |
| title | Aspire or Expire: Super-Adaptable Agents and Problematic Innovation |
| title_full | Aspire or Expire: Super-Adaptable Agents and Problematic Innovation |
| title_fullStr | Aspire or Expire: Super-Adaptable Agents and Problematic Innovation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Aspire or Expire: Super-Adaptable Agents and Problematic Innovation |
| title_short | Aspire or Expire: Super-Adaptable Agents and Problematic Innovation |
| title_sort | aspire or expire super adaptable agents and problematic innovation |
| topic | Problematic agency reality science fantasy |
| url | https://hipatiapress.com/hpjournals/index.php/rimcis/article/view/411 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT timothymcgettigan aspireorexpiresuperadaptableagentsandproblematicinnovation |