Is the Internet Changing the World Completely?

Throughout the past decade, all generations have, together, gone through several different changes. We think differently, speak differently, dress differently, and react differently to situations. However, the biggest type of change we made is the way which we communicate, find out information, and relieve ourselves from boredom. How, might one ask? Through the infamous world wide web. These days, everyone relies on the internet and the way it makes the world go round. Despite our dependence on the internet, I don’t think it should change the way we read, write and think. This is the valid argument that Nicholas Carr brings up in his article. In the article “Is Google Making us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr, the valid argument about the reliance of the internet is brought up. Carr brings up the constant feeling that someone is messing with his brain. The ability to sit down and read a book has diminished and gains a feeling of ADHD after a few pages. His reasoning? The amount of time spent on the internet. Over the past decade or so, Carr’s internet usage has gone up a great deal. Everything revolves around the internet. These days if one mentions going to the library and using a book to find research, other may think their crazy. A few clicks can get this society so far. Carr finds his other acquaintance, Scott Karp, whom is an intellectual blogger, has simply given up reading once and for all. The ability to simply absorb long articles is simply vanished. Our way of writing has changed since the invention of the type writer. Carr feels that our generation is reading now more than ever, however, it’s not the same. Texting messaging and short and sweet explanations are skewing how the brain wants to retain information. Friedrich Nietzsche, a famous writer, bought a typewriter in 1882 and after mastering each button successfully, “words could once again flow from his mind to the page” (Carr). However, typing brings a different tone to how we write things. Carr goes on explaining other changes which technology has done to the human brain. However, since the invention of the printing press, our train of thought has been a constant worry.

Carr brings up very strong opinions about the use of the internet. He, along with psychologist Maryanne Wolfe, believe our need for “efficiency” and immediacy” weakens the ability of our brain to more “deep reading” (Carr). The fact of the matter is, it does. The internet provides a safe haven for quick answers and brief, yet informative articles. Therefore, when a group of students, perhaps, are told to read long articles, most merely skim the article and retrieve only the main ideas. Carr also explains his inability to stay focused due to frequent internet use. His friend also believes the same, however, society today needs to understand the balance between internet and reading books. Younger generations simply learn to just Google questions rather than finding the answer in a book. Carr feels that we are reading more now than back in the 1970s and 1980s. I feel this is only opinion. People from that generation couldn’t simply log onto a computer to retrieve information. Going through several books broadened the mind immensely. Though Carr brings many facts into this article, some ideas are more biased than others.
The obvious argument in this article is the issue of what the internet has done to our minds. Carr uses many personal anecdotes and also those of his friends. Lucky for him, his friends are fairly intellectual individuals and can offer a well put together opinion about the internet. In addition to Carr’s friends, he also found evidence in psychologists, sociologists, and different scientists. All of their statements give quotable, and reliable, information backing up Carr. He defiantly took the time to research about the usage of the internet. Towards the end of the article, Carr includes information about Google the founders of the search engine itself, Sergey Brin and Larry Page. “In Eric Schmidt’s words, “to solve problems that have never been solved before,” and artificial intelligence is the hardest problem out there. Why wouldn’t Brin and Page want to be the ones to crack it?” (Carr).

The invention of the internet has made the world more connected. Through trial and error, the geniuses of the world have perfected and changed the way people find information, communicate with other, and pass time by simply typing in a web address and clicking “GO”. I’m sure many feel that this is a blessing, but for Carr, the effects could be even more damaging not just for his generations, but the future generations. Modern individuals have lost the ability to use a card catalogue in a library. But why blame us? Finding answers and doing research is so much more convenient than searching through maybe more than one book. Carr feels that because of the simplicity of finding information, we are losing the ability to retain it more effectively.



Despite the length of the article and the urge to simply skim it, I found that I was immediately interested in what Carr had to say. His tone is fairly formal for a great amount of the article, but I feel he has to be to make himself sound believable, for he is holding the database of the world responsible for dumbing us down. Causal language is very much intertwined though. Carr is obviously an excellent writer, so his sophisticated language is defiantly a supported in his claims, along with other evidence he supplies.
All in all, Carr really gets across what the internet is doing to people all around the world. Through extensive research and personal experience, he feels that the internet is weakening the way our brain works. I feel that we all know what the internet is doing to our thought process, but we all want to ignore it. Most everyone’s answer for an problem is “just Google it”. I know I wouldn’t go to the library and find an answer or do a research paper unless I had my laptop with me. I haven’t, however, lost the ability to read a book, but when I’m handed a lengthy article, I simply just skim it. Technology is so importance to this world and the future ahead of us, but are we losing more than what we gain?

Letters to a Southern Baptist Minister

Letters to a Southern Baptist Minister 

In the essay “Letter to a Southern Baptist Minister”, Edward O. Wilson reached out to a pastor, asking for his help. He explicitly explains his views towards religion and how Earth came to be. Wilson grew up a boy of religion, just like most children do. As he became older, he turned the other way. Even though his views are based on a scientific perspective Wilson believes that himself along with the pastor could easily sit down and discuss what is going to happen to this earth if daily habits continue. Being a Southerner is the main bondage of these two individuals. Wilson goes on describing why religion does not make sense in his eyes. Heaven and hell are what we “create for ourselves” (464). Putting that aside, uncontrollable things are happening to this world and Wilson feels that this Southern pastor would be the only one to understand. Each individual are to blame for killing what Wilson calls the Creation. Every living species is beautiful in their own unique way, yet within the next few decades, these spectacular creatures will soon begin to disappear forever. Wilson goes on and questions the lacks of interest religious leaders have on protecting the precious Creation. Humans are too self-centered preparing for the afterlife, rather than Nature itself.  When the time comes for God to divide us between these two afterlives, some may be set free in heaven with body and spirit, while others continue a life of suffering and die a brutal death. Those who are sent to hell will stay there forever while Earth withers away. Yet somehow, 10 billion other forms of life do not matter? Wilson begs the pastor to prove him wrong. He goes on backing up his claim by using research and ideals from the famous Charles Darwin. Darwin separated himself from religion and science and created the theory of evolution. This is what separates Wilson from the pastor. However, Wilson will cross the lines of Christian denomination in order to help our ever changing Earth. He ends wanting to gain knowledge, yet off scientific insight to the situation as well, even though science and religion rarely mix. 

In my perspective, Wilson completely achieves his purpose of the letter. He goes into this letter explaining his views very intensely, but goes into detail about how he understands the religious views as well. Science and religion should be combined to save the well being of mother nature. Wilson finds other ways himself and the past can connect, “…we are both Americans and, insofar as it might still affect civility and good manners, we are both Southerners” (463). I, myself, do not believe in a type of religion or “greater being”, but I feel that doesn’t make me more right than anyone else. I feel Wilson needs an outsider’s opinion on this ever changing Earth. Scientists may give the same answer, but sometimes a pastor has another insight on to make Earth beautiful once again. I did feel lost at some points of his essay because he jumped back and forth between science and religion a lot. After going back and rereading, though, there is a clear connection between the two things, no matter how separated they may seem, which will probably help the pastor see Wilson’s point. The most attention getting point of this letter was when Wilson really showed is true colors on science and religion combined. He put his foot down questioning if “human-centered ethics and preparation for the afterlife are the only things that matter?” (465) At this moment did Wilson show the importance of saving the Creation. I started losing interest and personal connection with his writing, but the paragraph and on really caught my attention and made me realize why he needed the help of the pastor. Some things are too great to only see in one light.