Search Engines a la Noumenal World

In “Google’s Media Barons” Harpers depicts free search engines as “disinterested parties whose glorious mission is to educate and uplift.” The article is claiming that for-profit search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and Yelp are taking advantage of the advertising market by creating advertisements and allowing entities to pay for the positioning of their site on search results. Harper’s goes on to suggest that search engines should not be for profit and that the Internet community is being scammed by these newly appointed power houses. These search engines have revolutionized the way we live our lives and I believe that free services would not have the innovative momentum or the funds to progress as well as the current for profit companies do.

            The convenient life enhancements for profit search engines have yielded are being taken for granted by the author. Harpers insinuates that people of the 21^st century are allowing technology to maneuver them into paying for services/products that they don't need. Their attack, working off the value states (Fahnestock), aims at making the reader feel cheated and naked. According to Fahnestock's stasis levels the value level is considered a higher stases. Although arguments are more complex they have the ability to mold the lower levels of stases. I think this call to action from the publication editor is roots back to the fact that users are accessing information for FREE. The widespread effect of search engines is great considering that the average person has a Google account. Also important to know; the author of this article is a magazine publisher. He feels that search engines are making profits off content that they do not own. Essentially, all they do is hyperlink relevant information and display it on their interface. 

            On the contrary, Grant Davies’ definition of exigence supports this articles publication. The for-profit search engine business has recently blossomed and is a multi billion-dollar industry. The confusion can be seen in the effect it has on the potential market for the text. The readers of Harpers are more than likely to use one of the mentioned search engines. People are alarmed when they read about the search engine they have as a homepage ripping them off.

            The article mentions a not for profit search engine called “free”. The author uses confusion to call the readers to action. It is almost as if there is a call for a revolution. I believe that shifting to a not for profit search engine system would slow the technological revolution that we are currently in. Google has innocently integrated itself into contemporary human life. If there were any evidence proving that Google was harming its users then the article would be more appropriate.

            From a value stases it is understandable that the publisher of a Magazine would be disgruntled at these search engines for making millions of dollars for just displaying his work. Search engines not for profit belong in the noumenal world. Economy is driven by competition. Success is - sadly- measured in profits and we are too far into the game to make such drastic changes.

http://harpers.org/blog/2013/01/googles-media-barons/

Genetic Engineering Technology v. Humans

What role do literature, contemporary science, historical science, and current events play in conveying how Joy thinks we should feel about genetic engineering technology?

Recent advancements in contemporary science such as e-trade algorithms have proven dangerous to human life. They were a large factor in the 2008 stock market crash. Although robots cannot be conscious their pre programmed actions (legally supported by the American government) can imbalances in day to day life. "The Short Run" theory states that technology may reach a point where it needs to be controlled. Currently, we have robotic vacuum cleaners, coffee makers, and lawn mowers. Governmental coercion may support the human population by placing emphasis on labor. Technological improvements can lead to the surrendering of mundane human tasks. People will eventually loose their purpose and it will be the responsibility of the "panoptic power" to guide the human population in order to establish an equilibrium between humans and technology. 

Cassandra Hamilton
Christopher Menendez 

Stases Patterns and Scientific Discourse

Fahnestock and Secor’s article on Stasis patterns aims to inform readers on the construction of arguments. They claim that “the stases tell the writer where to think, not “what to think.” As writers it is useful to study how to effectively construct an argument. Much like Grant- Davie’s idea of exigence, Fahnestock and Secor synthesize stasis into a formulaic pattern that assesses the purpose and timeliness of arguments. Questions of causes are similar to exigence in that they define “what the discourse is a bout, why it is needed, and what it should accomplish (Grant Davie 266). Last class my group examined a sci/tech article on binge drinking. The stasis was clear in that unexpected facts were presented to break down barriers of assumption. We have all heard about binge drinking problems in universities and amongst the youth. The article took a unique stance and informed the reader via age groups and sex (male/female). Surprising facts insinuated that the article was not intended for current binge drinkers, but for individuals in positions that have the capability of making changes. The stasis patterns in scientific discourse and literary criticism both take predisposed assumptions on a topic and try to change that discipline in a new direction. I find it interesting that science arguments are conducted in lower stases. This is probably due to the fact that science results are less philosophical and more concrete.

Killingsworth and Palmer explore the concepts of news and common interest. “To be considered news it must tell readers something they don’t already know, something they haven’t already heard or become accustomed to.” Common interest revolves more around “taking an unusual approach to an old problem” (Killingsworth and Palmer 134). An interesting point arises in the application of common interest to scientific rhetoric. Common interest encompasses social aspects in that it takes a socially rooted problem, such as binge drinking, and uses statistical data to analyze the situation. It is important to build discourse in our highly mediated society because it is naïve to only look at scientific studies through the eyes of “numbers”. At this point in time scientists need to be thinking outside of the box to reach new conclusions. For example, the genetic predisposition of alcohol abuse has been circling the media for a while now. A scientific study is more likely to be effective and useful if it attaches socially constructed paradigms. Killingsworth and Palmer’s discussion of community formation clarify Fahnestock and Secor’s stasis levels in that a clear and leveled audience helps deliver messages to a broader spectrum. The reader of a scientific article does not have to be an expert on the topic to understand what the discourse is. This is achieved through the stasis patterns that help us (the reader) organize and analyze statements. The shift from “news” to “public” involvement is depicted in Time magazines coverage on environmentalism. I believe the best depiction of this shift is their 1988 issue. Placing the article The Shift toward Environmental Awareness  in the “Nation” section as opposed to the “Environment” section instantly changes the predisposed opinions of the reader. Public awareness arises by categorizing the issue on a national level as opposed to an environmental one. The discourse hints that the nation needs to make a change, not the environment. 

Let's Effectively Intertextualize "Going Green"

David Biello’s The Green Apple is a fine example of a persuasive and effective call to awareness. The last decade has been littered with “Green” campaigns and conditioned Audiences from offensive statistics. The rhetorical situation arises with the emergence of the PlaNYC program. Though global warming and the resources used to make electricity are a National- and Global- problem Biello only focuses on New York City. This significantly increases the chances of successfully impressing his audience. According to Grant- Davie’s definition; the audience is the inhabitants of New York City and its surroundings, lawmakers (City and State level), and solar energy companies.

            Biello’s exigence is what separates his argument from the hundreds of others. He uses the year 2100 to create sense of urgency as opposed to citing the number of fish that die each year due to sewage runoff. Grant Davie states that the writer to see a opportunity to change reality through rhetoric. Using the year 2100 successfully addresses the issue because it is a reasonable measure. Reading about how New York City will be in the year 2500 doesn’t create a convincing call to action.

            The pieces’ style is informal in aims to connect with its audience. The citations from official government agencies help establish reputability and are supported by Bazerman’s third basic concept of using other texts as background, support, and contrast. The techniques of Intertextual Representation state that “using language and forms that seem to echo certain ways of communication, discussions among other people, types of documents” is essential in intertextuality (Bazerman 88). Biello’s discourse on climate change, urban planning, and scientific facts connects directly to the audience. Reflecting on these readings through the lenses of Bazerman and Grant- Davie can help readers see how meaning is constructed. Grant-Davie is interested looks at timeliness while Bazerman helps us see what facts should be used to support statements. 

Works Cited

Bazerman, Charles. Intertextuality: How Texts Rely on Other Texts'. University of California, Santa Barbara, Print.