Category: Foundations

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Thomas Waugh – The Machine Stops

      “The Machine Stops” by E.M. Forester tells of a dystopian future where every human lives in isolation from one another, each living in their own box, separated from the rest of society. As a result, communication becomes much less real and becomes more of a hassle than the pleasure it previously was. The people, as a result, begin to worship the Machine as a god to them, even though it was humans who created the Machine in the first place.  It is also important to note that even though humans created the Machine, the Machine rules supreme over the people and can even banish humans from their rooms onto the uninhabitable face of the earth. While this is an exaggeration which presumably takes place many, many years in the future, it mimics some of the trends that we can see in today’s society.

    Nowadays, I do not go anywhere without my phone. I need my phone to look at memes, I need my phone to listen to music, I need my phone to check my homework, I need my phone to make phone calls. I say I NEED my phone, but deep down I know that that’s not true. There was once a time in my life, a simpler time, when I didn’t have a phone and the world kept turning. However, as society progresses along with technology, having the latest technology as to not be obsolete is becoming a must. People nowadays have created an environment that is impossible to function without subscribing to modern technology, and that’s our fault. As beneficial as the modern cell phone is, it can very easily be argued that there are an equal amount of disadvantages. For example, just like in “The Machine Stops,” I would say that with the advent of the internet and instantaneous communication the quality of communication has fallen drastically. Far too often I find myself sending messages with absolutely no purpose or just scrolling through a mundane Instagram feed full of boring pictures and sub-par memes. However, I do not see this trend slowing down one bit. Phones are becoming more and more powerful with every update, every new release, each one another nail in the coffin of true human interaction. Is there a point where eventually we are all living in a reality not unlike that of “The Machine Stops?” Will we all spend all day hooked up to VR headsets communicating with one another through a stream of silly emojis? That still remains to be seen, but if I were to make a prediction, based on my opinion of humans and the way the world is going — I would say yes, and that’s a very scary thing. 

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Week 1: Response to “The Machine Stops” by E.M. Forster – Taylah Bland

Throughout the piece “The Machine Stops” by E.M. Forster, the general discourse pertains to establishing a societal climate riddled with interesting perceptions of priority. The piece in the initial pages sets out the reliance that humanity has developed with technology. For example, it is stated “she knew several thousand people, in certain directions human intercourse had advanced enormously” (1). This example speaks to the power of communication and its rapid development has had expansive consequences on the ways in which we interact and with how many people at a time. Technology has now become an ‘absolute’ in the piece, whereby individuals are no longer able to speak ill about machinery in fear of “homelessness” (10) as evidenced in “you mustn’t say anything against the Machine” (2) (further note the capitalization on Machine, just like God in the succeeding sentence). We begin to see the discrediting of the natural world as everything is likened to man – seemingly placing mankind in a position of power, dominance as they create machinery. It seems as if individuals happiness depends on the presence of buttons in order to provide food, clothing, water and music for convenience. 

What I noticed throughout the remainder of the piece, and what struck me was that individuals on the airship were foreign to the natural occurrences of the world such as rising of dawn and the stars in the sky. Instead of being beautiful natural phenomenon, these phenomena instead became feared and hated. This thought is applied to the way in which natural places like Brisbane and the Himalayas are no longer recognizable with their “unmechanical names” (9). 

What gave me some sort of hope for humanities restoration, or rather change in priority was the persona of Kuno who states “it is we who are dying, and that down here the only thing that really lives is the Machine” (15).

The take away from the piece to me and what made me think was that this could be a social commentary being made on a prediction for what our life will become if we continue our technological dependence. The attendant on the flight states “we have indeed advanced, thanks to the Machine” (9) but have we really advanced? We have lost human connection, care, regard for others, natural landscapes and appreciation for natural beauty. The collapsing of the ‘world’ at the end of the piece provides both a nihilistic and optimistic approach. One in which we rid ourselves of a mechanical world but now are left to potentially reconnect with the world we turned such a distrust towards. Advancement is certainly the question but I am not entirely sure that yes is the answer. 

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Week 1: Response to “The Machine Stops” by E.M Forster – Kevin Xu

After reading and analyzing E.M. Forster’s “The Machine Stops”, I came to the conclusion that the short story was about the danger of knowledge and technology, as well as the importance of humanity in an advancing civilization. However, more importantly, I believe The Machine spoken about in the story has an uncanny yet strong relation to the modern internet. The way The Machine takes in ideas from people and spreads those ideas through a filter is very similar to how the modern internet operates today. Us humans, through code and websites, can upload ideas into the internet, and other humans can access those ideas. In theory, this amalgamation of information should be a positive for the ever advancing human race, but like with The Machine, there are hidden issues. Humanities increased dependence on the internet has begun to mirror the dependence that humans in “The Machine Stops” has on The Machine. Smart Homes like the Google Assistant and Siri are virtual AI that can turn on the lights in our house or start the microwave or even welcome you home. Those functions are eerily similar to how in “The Machine Stops”, The Machine generates beds and food. In addition, humans now are sometimes more interested to talking to a screen than talking in person, similar to how in short story, Vashti can’t see a reason why speaking through the machine is any different that speaking in person. All these reasons I previously mentioned are only a few of the many comparisons that can be made between the internet and The Machine. Through my analysis, I believe E.M Forster’s “The Machine Stops” is a realistic yet pessimistic view of how the internet could eventually take over our lives.

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Week 1: Response to “The Machine Stops” – Jikai Zheng

“The Machine Stops,” the dystopic, futuristic story by E. M. Foster wrangles my mind into a knot. On one hand, this fictional piece has many unrealistic qualities, such as human’s incapability to live on the surface of earth. However, in contrast, the underlying concept of a machine that occupies human worship is far too real. The machine, to some extent, resembles our humanity’s addiction to technology. Indeed, the two main characters of this story, Vashti and her son, Kuno, have differing opinions on the necessity, power, and appliance of the machine. While Vashti views the machine as a flawless piece of man’s invention, Kuno is more suspicious of its facilities, stating, “its hum penetrates our blood, and may even guide our thoughts” (13).

I was reminded of the climatic statement, “The Machine stops” (same as the title) in section 3. In the denouement of this story, I begin to realize that Foster may have intended readers to leave with the same sense of suspicion to technology as Kuno had, or at least a measured amount of caution towards channels of communication that diminish the human experience.

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The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster- Evan Xie

After thoroughly reading “The Machine Stops” by E.M. Forster, I immediately thought of a recurring topic that the short story directly related to Communication Lab: the existence of technology overpowering the existence of humans. Kuno struggled to maintain a human relationship with his mother Vashti simply as a result of the Machine becoming something that people rely on in all aspects of their lives. I felt that the way the author described the relationship between Kuno and Vashti was incredibly mindful as they used realistic human scenarios connecting to the dangers of technology. While I originally thought that the Machine sounded like an incredible benefit to humans, I quickly realized the author’s intention to show the Machine as a God-like figure that had replaced true human ways of life. By choosing to capitalize “Machine,” I personally viewed the Machine itself as more of a religious or sacred object rather than an actual Machine. Despite the purpose of the Machine to make human functions such as communication easier, when reading through the story, I feel that Vashti and Kuno relied on the Machine too heavily. As a result, I saw this as a similar situation to modern day technology as both Vashti and Kuno forget how to act as humans due to their reliance on the Machine. Similarly to humans in today’s society, we often immediately jump to our phones, computers, or whatever electronic devices we have in hopes of making our day to day communication easier. However, like Kuno and Vashti, too often do we wait until it is too late before realizing the dangers of technology as well as the benefits. Once the Machine is finally destroyed, Kuno and Vashti are freed from its imprisonment. However, their inability to separate true human interaction from technological interaction made me think of everything we as humans are doing today. While advanced programs and devices help us in amazing ways, I feel that it is quite easy to fall into a black hole like Kuno and Vashti’s society. I feel that the story demonstrates issues that may be presented as fictional, but in reality, relate to humans and technology today more than ever. Most of all, I viewed the story as both a message and a lesson. We cannot and should not abuse the privileges of rapidly improving technology. While it makes communicating easier,  I feel that it is important to be aware of situations like Kuno and Vashti’s. Therefore, I view technology as beneficial to create works of art and aid basic functions, but also feel that we should not rely on it in replacing our actions as human beings.