The Human Body - Data Made Flesh Essay Example for Free

The Human Body Data Made Flesh Essay The title of this essay derives from the words uttered by the protagonist, Henry Case, in William Gibson’s novel ‘Neuromancer’ (1984). This metaphor, which equates the human body as mere data turned into flesh encompasses the theory that in an age of increasing focus on information technologies and the ways in which people interface with them, the boundary distinguishing an individual from their surroundings becomes blurred, if not shattered entirely. As University of Chicago’s William Fulton attests, we exist simply as information systems that happen to inhabit the material instantiation of our bodies, (Theories of Media, 2007). However, one cannot enter discussion about the above topic without first alluding to the particular school of thought which harbours critical theory of this ilk. Exponents of this style of dictum would usually come under the banner of ‘Posthumanists’. The term itself, ‘Posthumanism’, is steeped in hyperbole in that it carries with it an ominous sense of foreboding in contemporary culture, where there is a strong case for the premise that society is becoming less ‘human’, as we retreat behind the veil of technology. To draw upon the direct translation of ‘post’ as ‘after’ would infer the meaning, ‘after-human’ which in some respects gives us a clearer understanding of the concept, as it tends to deal with the modern development of the integration of technology and biology and the human body. It is basically a notion that we, as humans are becoming increasingly embedded in technology and the technological environment that, in a sense, the paradigm of the ‘natural’ human being has shifted in meaning. Juxtaposed with this is the idea that as humans are more and more subsumed in technology, technology is becoming more and more human with advances in science and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Fukuyama advanced the concept of Posthumanism as a negative case: that of ‘anti-humanism’ or absence of humanism. He bemoans the transgression of â€Å"crucial moral boundaries† that have eroded the ethical distinctions between therapy and technological enhancement (Our Posthuman Future 2002). Gordijn Chadwick describe a posthuman as a being that has at least one posthuman capacity i.  e. a general central capacity greatly exceeding the maximum attainable by any current human being without recourse to new technological means (Why I Want to be a Posthuman when I Grow Up, 2006). Mc Luhan did not use the exact word but he predicted a future that dovetails succinctly with posthuman theories surrounding ‘cybernetics’ when he foretells a society whereby to paraphrase Hayles’ theory of ‘reflexivity’ (1999) that which has been used to generate a system is made to become part of the system it generates. McLuhan alluded to the ‘cybernetic’ possibility of human beings interfacing and entangling with machines on a neurological and functional level. Just as binoculars are an extension of the eye and clothes are an extension of the skin, then information technologies become McLuhans extension of the mind. In this respect, the term ‘post-humanism’ has only really worked itself into contemporary critical discourse in the humanities and social sciences since the mid 1990s, over a decade after Mc Luhan’s death. However, it may be traced back to the Macy conferences on cybernetics from 1946 to 1953 and the invention of systems theory (What is Posthumanism? , Wolfe, 2010). At these conferences they converged on a new theoretical model for biological, mechanical and communicational processes that removed the human and Homo sapiens from any particular privileged position in relation to matters of meaning, information and cognition. The term ‘cybernetics’ had been coined by Wiener in the 1940s to denote â€Å"the entire field of control and communication theory, whether in the machine or in the animal.† Even at this early stage of technology there was a definitive study underway into the correlation of information between machines and living creatures. In the 1960s this theory was modified into the concept of ‘reflexivity’ alluded to above. Systems re-entangle with themselves, and become referential to themselves blurring the traditionally accepted borders imposed on the world between subject and object, object and environment, or in other words between the organic and the natural and the technological and the cultural, a principal tenet of modern posthumanist thought. In current popular use, Fulton describes cybernetics as most often associated specifically with the development of artificial intelligence, virtual technology and cyberspace. He attests, â€Å"cybernetics in the context of technology is only a limited part of a greater whole, which deals with the study of information systems and the media in which they exist, both inorganic and organic. † Further and further extension of the idea leads to a model of the world in which media serve as a series of â€Å"irrelevant substrates† through which pure information freely flows. This situation ties in with many of Mc Luhan’s ideas about media in society but most especially with his ideas about the extension of the mind, extending human beings’ central nervous systems into electromagnetic technology, a topic, I will consider later in the essay. There is much critical opinion to support Gibson’s notion of humans as information systems just like a machine or computer. Clark (Natural-born Cyborgs, 2001) believes that it is by virtue of our intrinsic ability to merge with external resources to perform even the most rudimentary of calculations that we are designed to walk hand in hand with technology in a posthuman future. He offers the example of how we utilise pen and paper to work out moderately complex mathematics, storing the immediate results outside the brain and then repeating the pattern until the larger problem is solved. â€Å"It is because our brains, more than any other animal on the planet, are primed to seek and consummate such intimate relations with non-biological resources that we end up†¦ capable of abstract thought. †¦we are natural-born cyborgs forever ready to merge our mental activities with operations of pen and paper and electronics†¦. † (Clark, Natural-born Cyborgs, 2001) Wiener asserted that we have to become technophiles to operate in a technological world (1954). He noted that because we have modified our environments so radically it is now necessary to modify ourselves in order to exist in this new environment. Furthermore, he equated the now routine breakdown and repair of the human body with that of replacing a faulty part in a machine. With contemporary advances in technology allowing us to alter or perfect many undesirable parts or areas of our bodies with a specifically manufactured replacement it begs the questions, what does it mean to be human and what does it mean to be a machine in the 21st century? â€Å"If corneal implants are part of us, why not contact lenses? If contacts, why not eyeglasses? If eyeglasses, why not automated telescope? If a telescope, why not the computer interfaced with it? (Hayles, Designs on the Body: Norbert Wiener, Cybernetics and the Play of Metaphor, History of Human Sciences, Vol, 3 No 2) Mc Luhan’s adjunct to this concept is: if a telescope can be the extension of the eye, then information technologies can become extensions of the mind. He stated that after extending or translating â€Å"our central nervous system into the electromagnetic technology, it is but a further stage to transfer our consciousness to the computer world as well.† The Internet clearly serves as the next step in this process of extension. By connecting all computers as part of a pervasive, global network of information, man is not only able to extend his nervous system to interface with technology, but is able to use that mediation to directly connect with the nervous systems of other human beings, also tapped into the network. Present day studies are also showing human’s capacities to monitor their bodies in the same way that one might monitor a car for potential faults. With one report (The Quantified Self: Counting Every Moment, 2012 ) attesting that more people are using smartphone and tablet applications to monitor their health in an effort to sustain a healthy life-style but also, in many instances, as a substitute for the much more expensive trip to the doctor. As populations age and health-care costs increase, there is likely to be a greater emphasis on monitoring, prevention and maintaining â€Å"wellness† in future, with patients taking a more active role an approach sometimes called â€Å"Health 2.0† (The Quantified Self: Counting Every Moment, 2012 ). Allied to this is the plethora of people who are undergoing voluntary surgical procedures in order to modify particular parts of their body for a number of different reasons, in the same way someone might change the wheels on their car or update the driver in their personal computer. Converse to the problem of humans becoming more like machines is the question also raised of machines becoming more like humans. If human identity has been reduced to an information system that happens to inhabit the body as medium, whats to say that another information system inhabiting a computer, or the Internet, couldnt be perceived as being equally as â€Å"human? † In a recent article (Mind vs. Machine, The Atlantic, 2011) Brian Christian describes an annual contest between the world’s most advanced artificial-intelligence programs and ordinary people. The contest, known as the Turing Test(, endeavours to find out whether a computer can act â€Å"more human† than a person and Christian discovers that the march of technology is not just changing how we live, it is raising new questions about what it means to be human. He realises that convincing the judges that you are human â€Å"is about more than simply showing up [and being yourself]†. It is something that has to be â€Å"worked at. † This notion has certain resonance for society as a whole. With this in mind, I recall a report (Makwana Irwin-Brown, We’re the Kids in Austerity, 2012) I came across some months ago which stated that 57% of 7-15 year olds in the UK find it easier to talk with friends online than in person, 56% find it easier to talk by SMS than in person. These figures represented for me a sea change in the emphasis on ‘natural’ human interaction, and in what it means to be a ‘natural’ human in today’s society. Perhaps, we are envisaging a new beginning for society one where children feel more comfortable interacting with technology than they do with their fellow human beings. To understand why our human sense of self is inextricably linked with computers, it’s important to realise that computers used to be human. From the mid-18th century onward, computers, many of them women, were on the payrolls of corporations, engineering firms, and universities, performing calculations and numerical analysis. In the mid-20th century, as the ‘digital computer’ developed, it was said to be â€Å"like a computer. † In the 21st century, it is the human mathematical whiz who is â€Å"like a computer† (Christian, Mind vs. Machine, The Atlantic, 2011 ). In a strange but significant turn of events, humans are said to be â€Å"like† something that used to be â€Å"like† us. By this reasoning, one could assume that the modern-day computer is so-called because it is intended to carry out any operations which could be done by a human computer. During the same period that gave rise to the human computer, there too, was much debate amongst philosophers surrounding the idea of what it was to be human. French philosopher Julian Offray de la Mettire (1747) suggested that human beings are only complex animal-machines. This suggestion was, in no doubt, inspired by Descartes uttering in the 16th century that the body was essentially like a machine, pointing out that the only thing not reducible to mechanism is the human mind. Furthermore, the notion of man as a machine or machine-like was something that resonated during the Industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. Ferguson describes the perception of the plight of the factory worker in these times: â€Å"Many mechanical acts require no intellectual capacity. They succeed best under a total suppression of sentiment and reason†¦..  Manufacturers, accordingly, prosper most where the mind is least consulted, and where the workshop may, without any great effort of the imagination, be considered an engine, the parts of which are men. † (Ferguson, An Essay on History of Civil Society, 1767) The question of human identity being reduced to an information system that happens to inhabit the body as medium has been a driving force for the study of artificial intelligence, and has manifested repeatedly. As Christian puts it some people imagine the future of artificial intelligence as a kind of heaven: â€Å"Rallying behind an idea called â€Å"The Singularity,† people like Ray Kurzweil (in The Singularity Is Near) and his cohort of believers envision a moment when we make smarter-than-us machines, which make machines smarter than themselves, and so on, and the whole thing accelerates exponentially toward a massive ultra-intelligence that we can barely fathom. † Such a time will arrive in which humans can upload their consciousness onto the Internet and get assumed—if not bodily, than at least mentally—into an eternal, imperishable afterlife in the world of electricity (Christian, Mind vs. Machine, The Atlantic, 2011 ). Others imagine the future of computing as a kind of hell, an almost Terminator style apocalypse. Machines black out the sun, level our cities and enable an atmosphere that destroys all living things. There is no doubt that technology has become an integral part of human lives and will only become increasingly so. We have already made the first step into the realm of the posthuman or the cyborg, common examples include the athlete Oscar Pistorious who has prosthetic blades for legs, anyone who has undergone a sex change, or anyone who has modified their bodies with artificial implants for cosmetic reasons. I do not believe there is any going back but I feel technology and humans certainly have the capacity to complement each other and work side by side as we look to the future. It remains to be seen if this synergy will come to pass but there certainly is the capacity for it. And as the human race faces up to some of the toughest questions that have been put to us heretofore I would cautiously back us to prevail To paraphrase Wiener, humans can continue to modify themselves to keep up with the modifications of the environment they find themselves in.

The Style of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads :: Talking Heads

The Style of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads Bennett states in his introduction that "forms....dictate themselves" and that material demands to be "written in a particular way and no other". Each of the characters, according to the author has a "single point of view" and none is "telling the whole story". He says that his characters are "artless" and "don't quite know what they are saying". It is true that this is so. We, the listeners, can make conjectures about all of them. Graham's ambiguous sexuality, Susan's alcoholism and Muriel's perverted husband are not revealed directly through any statements made to us. They are hinted at by what is left unsaid or by what is obliquely inferred. In a very real sense, though, this is true to life and Bennett cleverly constructs each monologue to be as realistic as possible. In speaking to an inanimate object - the camera - each character is, so to speak, alone. The audience is not "there", as far as the speaker is concerned. Better still, the camera is like a hidden priest in a confess ional. Each person is able to speak quite frankly to the anonymous listener. If we make judgements we have no means of interaction. This is not a two - way process of confidential gossip, for none of the characters expect a reply. Bennett lets his characters reveal themselves openly and we are left to form our own opinions of them. He calls the style "austere" and so it is, for there is no authorial decoration of expression. What each character actually says is all we are given to work on and we must sift the inner meanings for ourselves. One of the author's most impressive gifts is his ear for idiom. All of the characters use an idiomatic turn of phrase exactly suited to their lifestyles and backgrounds. Bennett's use of cliché is extensive, each character again using appropriate language with regard to background and upbringing. Their choice of idiom is often very funny, sometimes intentionally, as in the case of Susan's "Hazflor" episode and sometimes unintentionally, as in Doris's "Love God and close all gates". It is difficult to categorise the form of these stories. Bennett calls them monologues, which, strictly speaking, they are, but he also says that several of them could be plays.

Same-sex marriages

IntroductionSame sex marriages involves coming together of a two people of the same gender to form a family.   These marriages are not recognized in most countries in the world.   In the U.S, only the states of Iowa and Massachusetts allow gay marriages. The state Vermont recognizes civil unions, which are similar but lesser than marriages. Civil unions do not guarantee the couples full rights enjoyed in marriages. The Federal Government, under the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, does not recognize same sex marriages but leaves individual states the room to deliberate on acceptable forms gay unions. (Strasser, Mark, 1994:14)Gay people have stepped up to campaigns for recognition of same sex marriages.   While gay people have been granted equal rights in many fields in life such as employment, they are denied the right to marriage. A complex argument has come up proponents of same sex marriages on one side and opponents on the other each presenting their points. (Vesterman, W, 1994:2)   The main controversy has been the definition of marriage.   Gay people want the right to marry, adopt and raise children.   Legalization of same-sex marriages would have an impact on all human perspectives.   Businesses would accord employees from gay marriages same treatment.   There would be social realignment and allocation of role in society. Religious bodies, more so Christians and Muslims lead the anti-gay marriages campaign.Thesis statementSame-sex marriages should not be legalized.Arguments for Same-sex marriages go against nature.   Marriage is meant to be a union of one man and one woman.   It is an abnormality to develop feelings to a person of the same gender. People are born male and female to compliment each other in marriage. It is only by choice and exposure to gay tendencies that they become gay.   Gay tendencies are not exhibited by any other form of life so as to suggest its is a natural phenomenon.   Animals, even the closest primates, do not display gay behavior.   To legalize a marriage founded on an unnatural behavior would distort the notion of marriage, as we know it.Same-sex unions are not fit to raise children in.   The parents’ relationship is not favourable to raising children in a proper way.   Children raised in these unions would be predisposed to gay behaviour.   They would not be given a chance to live normal lives.   Children grow up learning through copying parental actions, as they are not mature enough to make informed decision.   Legalizing such a marriage would be exposing adopted children to unnatural acts.(Patterson, Charlotte, 2001:346)Legalizing same-sex marriages would lead to other anti-social behaviors.   Just as gay individual would have succeeded in legalizing their cause, others would also come out and demand their rights.   It may lead to a rise in incest and bestiality.   These individuals would always fall back on to the case of the same-sex marriage to ar gue out their point.   Polygamists would also demand recognition by law.   It would to lead to absurdities such as an individual entering into to a union with an animal and demanding legal recognition.   He or she would use the same arguments pushed by pro-gay marriages activists today.The marriage institution has an all-important role of procreation.   This role is best performed in a marriage.   Same-sex marriages by design lack the capacity to procreate.   Without the ability to perform this role, the marriage would be incomplete.   Without procreation, humankind would not regenerate itself.   The fact that gay marriage proponents are mainly in nations with low birth rates is worrying.   Legalizing same-sex marriage would be putting perpetuity of man in jeopardy in the long run.Legalizing gay marriages would be tantamount to giving gay people favored status. Gays want their issues to be treated in the same way as those of the disabled and the chronically ill.   They however do not want to be treated the same way as pedophiles, masochists or even cannibals.   These are people who choose to be the way they are and therefore do not merit special status.   In their pleas for favored states, they use words laden with emotions to gain sympathy such as discrimination, homophobia and tolerance.Traditionally and morally, marriage is a man and woman affairs.   As a society we cannot neglect the traditions and morals that have always guided us and maintained order.   The society does not have to be immoral to advance.   Legalizing same-sex marriages will tear the fabric that holds society together.   It will create a sense of disorder and loss of direction for men.   This social order must be closely guarded.(www.cnn.com)Legalizing same-sex marriage would be great experimentation with such as sensitive matter. The same sex marriage euphoria is the West might have dangerous results since it has no been tried before.   Since same-sex relationships have gained prominence in the last twenty years, their long-term effects cannot be projected.   This euphoria has been fueled by political correctedness that makes people approve even the most absurd ideas.Arguments Against.Failure to legalize same-sex marriages will be denial of individuals their fundamental right. It would be tantamount to government intrusion into ones private life.   The government should not stop consenting adults from marriage whether gay or heterosexual.   Equality should be seen to prevail. Just as the government keeps off from straight marriages, it should also keep off the same sex marriages.(Scott, Bidstrup, 2004)Not legalizing same-sex marriages would be falling victim to stereotypes. Straight people see gay people as baseless and non-committal.   Straight people are homophobic not because, homosexuality is necessary bad, but because they are uncomfortable with it.   They are afraid of any changes in society regardless of their im pact.Continued incrimination of same-sex marriage is due to religious overstepping their mandates. The church oversteps its mandate by imposing its policies on the nation.   There is little difference between the church and the state.   Politicians join the church’s course to gain political support in form conservative churchgoers.Majority in society have always oppressed the minority.   What is now being seen in the same sex marriage issue was experienced in slavery period.   Religious bodies and groups who supported and even engaged in slavery and subsequent segregation have no moral grounds to criticize same-sex marriages.Proponents of same sex marriages argue that legalization would in fact strengthen the institution of marriage.   Divorce rate would go down because gay people would not be forced into unions with people of the opposite gender. Gay people may try to conform to societal norms and marry the opposite gender.   They end-up in unhappy unions that le ad to divorce.   Legalization would also reduce stress related problems such as suicide and depression due to denial of right to be legally married.Proponents of same-sex marriages also argued that gay marriages have capacity to bring up children in the normal way.   They point-out that what a child needs is not heterosexual parents but tender care and nurturing.   They argue that same-sex couples can provide that care just like straight parents.Pro-gay marriage groups insist that gay people are born rather than choosing to be gay.   They claim that they are born with gay tendencies inherent.   They point out that nobody would choose to be ridiculed and victimized through out their life.   If it were something they would control they would just opt for the easier option of heterosexuality.   Criminalizing same-sex marriages would be failure to recognize the predicament facing gay people.(Pinello, Daniel, R, 2006: 76)Conclusion.Same-sex marriages should not be legalized under any circumstance.   It is a social evil that should not permeate into society.   The government should look into the interests or the society and criminalize same-sex marriages.   It should not fall for emotional talk about discrimination and homophobia. The usage of ‘homophobia’ tires the portray those opposed to gay marriages as suffering from a mental condition. (Patterson, Charlotte, 2001 )The society should resist any attempts to portray same-sex marriage as normal and natural. It is not evident in other forms of life. The claim that gay people are born is also a fallacy. They are people who have reformed their gay tendencies showing that it is really a choice. Homosexuality cannot be determined by scientific inquiry of the DNA.   All forms of consented sex and unions are voluntary.The marriages institutions cannot be strengthen by undermining its main foundations.   Same-sex marriages disrupt the main principle of marriage.   Same-sex couples ar e not able to offer proper care for kids. Such a marriage is unstable and do not provide the right environment for raising children.We should not embrace change just for the sake of change.   Restructuring the age-old basic unit of society would be a historical mistake.   The US should set precedence in protecting this all-important institution.References:Pinello, Daniel R., America's Struggle for Same-Sex Marriage. Cambridge University Press, 2006: 76.Strasser, Mark, The Challenge of Same-Sex Marriage: Federalist Principles and Constitutional Protections. Praeger, 1999: 14Patterson, Charlotte J., â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage and the Interests of Children†¦,† Virginia Journal of Social Policy & Law, 9:346. 2001Vesterman W. Reading and Writing Short Arguments. London: Mayfield, 1994:   p2, 4.CNN News, Politics: Bush Calls For Ban on Same Sex Marriage, 05/02/2004. Retrieved on 10/10/07 from http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/24/elec04.prez.bush.marriage/Scott Bidstrup . Gay Marriages: The Arguments and The Motives, 2004. Retrieved on 10/10/07 from http://www.bidstrup.com/marriage.htm

What Is the Columbian Exchange - 604 Words

The question that is foremost in our minds is â€Å"What is the Columbian Exchange†? A historian named Alfred Crosby describes this Columbian Exchange as the exchange of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World and the Americas after the arrival of Columbus’s arrival in the Caribbean in 1492 It has been said that due to lack of human control during this evolutionary time in history of the continents, the Columbian Exchange greatly benefited the people of Europe and their colonies, but brought catastrophe to Native Americans. If someone does not understand the Columbian Exchange, one cannot truly understand the forces that shape the world we live in today. One cannot understand why you speak the language you speak, nor why you live in the nation you live in, or even why one speaks the language they speak, nor why you live in the nation you presently live in, let alone why you eat the food you consume. Many of their plants were transported on purpose, while ot hers were transported by someone who had gotten a taste of the plants, so he brought many plants with him. Many of the new plants were accepted, while others were rejected upon their arrival in Europe, such as the tomato, potato, and chili peppers. The tale was they had been cursed by some witches. The â€Å"Columbian Exchange† is recognized as historian interchange of plants. This name describes the exchange of plants, animals and unfortunately diseases between the Old World and the Americans following Columbus’sShow MoreRelatedWhat Was The Columbian Exchange? Essay1618 Words   |  7 Pagesresult of this was The Columbian Exchange in which there was a large trade of animals, plants, technology, culture, slaves, diseases, and even new religions. This exchange effected the way Europeans, Americans, Asians, and Africans lived their daily lives. The Columbian exchange was by far one of the most paramount events in the history of world technology, agriculture, culture, and ecology. In this research paper the following will be answered: What is the Columbian Exchange? Plants and animals transportedRead MoreThe Positive Effects Of The Columbian Exchange1051 Words   |  5 PagesThe Columbian Exchange The Columbian Exchange was the transfer of plants, animals, human populations, diseases, cultures, and ideas throughout the world. The new worlds that had been discovered were a part of this Columbian Exchange, and were exposed to many new and foreign goods as well as people. The Americas, or New World, were faced with harsh treatment from Columbus and his crew, along with the rampant spread of new diseases that took a large toll on the Native populations. The Indies were alsoRead MoreAmerica Before Columbus And The Columbian Exchange1597 Words   |  7 PagesAmerica, we often take for granted the natural world that surrounds us and the American culture which is built upon it. For many of us, we give little thought to the food sources that sustain and natural habitats that surround us because when viewed for what they are, most people assume that they have â€Å"simply existed† since the country was founded. However, the documentary ‘America Before Columbus’ pro vided this writer an extremely interesting record of how the America we know came to exist. In the documentaryRead MoreImpact Of The Columbian Exchange909 Words   |  4 PagesThe Columbian Exchange was an event that was very impactful on modern day. The Columbian Exchange was the widespread trade of plants, animals, guns, and diseases. It occured between the Americas, Africa, and Europe. Examples of products that the Americas contributed are turkey, squash, and potatoes. Examples of products that Europe contributed are horses, sugar, and smallpox. Columbian exchange was a huge impact on our modern day world because it changed war and hunting, it introduced new ingredientsRead MoreThe Positive Effects Of The Columbian Exchange1643 Words   |  7 PagesThe term â€Å"Columbian Exchange† refers to the massive transfer of life between the Afro-Eurasian and American hemispheres that was precipitated by Columbus’ voyage to the New World . It was known as the widespread interchange of plants, animals, diseases, culture, human populations and technology between Europe and the Americas. After Columbus’ arrival to the Americas, the plant, animal and bacterial life began to mix between the Americas, which was also referred to as the â€Å"New World† and Europe,Read MoreThe Cultural Impacts Of The Columbian Exchange775 Words   |  4 PagesThe Columbian Exchange By definition, the Columbian Exchange is described as the transatlantic flow of goods, people, and diseases, beginning with Christopher Columbus’s voyages and discovery of the New World in 1492. (Give Me Liberty!) This interpretation, however, does not give this event the acknowledgement it deserves, as the effects of this complex transaction made a significant impact of the modern history of the world. It completely shaped the world humans live in today, from the languagesRead MorePositive Effects Of The Columbian Exchange703 Words   |  3 Pagesthe time period known as the Columbian Exchange. Most of what the Europeans took from the Exchange was good, but some of what they brought was devastating to the people in the New World. Although, this time period was very brutal for the Native Americans, the Columbian Exchange resulted in the transmitting of new technologies, an increase in remedies and cures for diseases, and a growth in resources such as food that helped to impr ove life. During the Columbian Exchange there were civilizations thatRead MoreThe Columbian Exchange Statistics782 Words   |  4 PagesThe Columbian Exchange Statistics By the Numbers Estimated population of Europe in 1492: about 60 million Estimated population of the Americas in 1492: 40-100 million Estimated population of Europe in 1800: 150 million Estimated population of the Americas in 1800: 25 million (the vast majority of whom were of European or African descent) Major domesticated animals in the New World in 1492: dog, llama Major domesticated animals in the Old World in 1492: horse, cow, pig, sheep, goat, chickenRead MoreThe Term Effects Of The Columbian Exchange On The Old World712 Words   |  3 PagesWhen people think of the Columbian Exchange they remember all of the great things such as the exchange of goods that we cherish today. Things such as crops, ideas, and animals between the Old World(Afro-Eurasia) and the New World(The Americas) that helped to cultivate the world we live in today.But at what price did this diffusion of goods cost? Although the Columbian Exchange brought the goods we value today such as animals, plants, and the exchange of ideas, It would also bring long term effectsRead MoreHow the Columbian Exchange Changed Our World Forever810 Words   |  3 Pagesbeen brought to our regions. After this discovery, the Columbian exchange started: products were transported from the New World to the Old World and vice versa. This exchange had an enormous influence on the world: without th e Columbian exchange, the world would not be the same as the one we know today. In his essay, Charles C. Mann (2007) called the exchange the most important event after the death of the dinosaurs. Firstly, the Columbian exchange dramatically transformed the American ecological environment