seanie_32
Mind Map by , created more than 1 year ago

Mind Map on Introduction to mechanisation of mental labour, created by seanie_32 on 11/01/2014.

494
0
0
No tags specified
seanie_32
Created by seanie_32 over 11 years ago
Close

Introduction to mechanisation of mental labour

Introduction to mechanisation of mental labourThe computer can be differentiated from industrial technology.The computer does not do "work" like the machines of the industrialrevolutionThey handle "control" and"information""The automatic machine...is the precise economicequivalent of slave labour. Any labour which competeswith slave labour must accept the economic conditionsof slave labour" (Norbert Wiener, 1954)Control mechanisms in steelindustrySteel hammer allowed for the deliberate variation offorceExpansion of human activitiesTechnology does not simply substitute for human labour butcan also expand human capacitiesComputer to process anassignmentSearch for awordMore accurateQuicker than doing it manuallyEnhancement of human capacitiesFor with the help of machinery, human labour performsactions and creates things which without it would beabsolutely impossible of accomplishment. (Karl Marx, 1993 p.309)ExampleGoogle search - can search for a phrase to check for copyrightinfringement. Almost impossible to do previouslyConcept of an information machineRegarded as doing a form of mental workExcel formula in a spreadsheet - Substitutes for direct mental albour and isdoing a form of mental workSignificance of the materiality of information technologyNot significant as long asthe parts carry out theirintended purposeWhen a particular machine is described to us, we do not first ask questionsabout its material construction (Minsky, 1967 p.5)Computer as an information machineCan be understood as an information machine,rather than as industrial technology, in the sensemade explicit by MinskyThe computer is a universal information machine capable of beingprogrammed to imitate the operations of any other special purposeinformation machineDifference in cost will be large in terms of labour.Once the technology diffuses, the initialcost of the machine will reduceExampleAdd up data by hand / Add up data with formulaWhen dealing with larger sets of data, formula will be more efficient thus enhancing capabilitiesAnalogously, an appropriately programmed computer,used for human communication rather than formachine control, can be regarded as bothSubstituting for direct human labour inrelation to processes which werepreviously humanly done.Extending human capacities for mental work,similarly building on existing informationtechnologies.ExampleSmartphones can be substituted for human labour but only when thehuman labour has developed the essential technology to replace theprocess. The smartphone is a result of the collection of years of researchand human labour by many different individuals and groups and thiscollective development then shaped the final product. Any new technologyor automated process is a product of human labour.These new technologies can be used to extend and enhance the capabilities ofhuman labour. The smartphone can be used by a human to enhance theircommunication abilities, allows them to be more productive with the ability to stayconnected to the world through email and social media.The smartphone contains apps which can be described as “special purposeinformation machines” which are downloaded onto your universal machine(smartphone) and used. These apps can reduce the mental human labor byperforming tasks such as calculating, converting, spell checking and so on. Withthese apps, a human can enjoy a much more productive and efficient way ofcompleting these tasks with this technology.Double click this nodeto edit the textClick and drag this buttonto create a new node