Chapter 9. Clockwork Uncertainty: The arms race between reason and complexity
Kirk: “I’m curious, Doctor, why is it called the M5?”
Daystrom: “Well you see, M1 to M4 were not entirely successful. This one is. M5 is ready to take control of your ship.”
Kirk: “Total control?”
Daystrom: “That is what it is designed for.”
Kirk: “There are some things that Men have to do to remain Men, your computer takes that away.”
Daystrom: “The computer can do your job ... One machine can do all those things that Men do now. Men can go on to do greater things...”
Star Trek: The Ultimate Computer
In the early days of science fiction it was popular to write stories about how computers would go mad and destroy the world153. To many who use computers today, this prophesy might have a ring of truth. The fact that computers have taken over the world is clear: they pervade our society from the kitchen to the supermarket; they are in our washing machines, our cars, our supermarket checkouts. They are responsible for monitoring and communicating the movements of a global economy, which, to a large extent, is stylized by the very computer technology it uses. They are in our televisions as well as our PC’s, in video games, and in wristwatches. We are now wearing them and soon most likely even implanting them.
Dependence on technology makes society vulnerable to its failures. When a key system fails, the machine stops, it no longer performs its function and the loop of symbiosis is shattered. Not only are humans dependent ...
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