Avoiding Seppuku

I read an interesting article in the L.A. times today stating that Toyota could be facing financial ruin because of the likely possibility that their “sudden acceleration” problem is due to faulty microprocessors or engine control modules. Not only would this kind of technological problem be very expensive to fix on a large scale, but it would also be a “tremendously difficult thing to spot,” according to Ronald Jurgen, electrical engineer. The reporter who wrote the article refers to the problem as an electronic ‘ghost’ waiting patiently to haunt the Japanese automotive manufacturer, and I suppose there just may be some top level computer designers over at Toyota who could meet that ghost, literally, after reestablishing, for their own purposes, the ancient Samurai practice of Seppuku.

That the problem facing Toyota is grave, there can be no doubt, and I believe there’s a lesson here relative to the world of technological advancement in the classroom. All along, I’ve believed Toyota’s problem was electronic, but the fact that Toyota is going to the wall by insisting it’s a mechanical problem proves one thing for certain in my eyes. We should be very careful about designating certain jobs to computers, and not only those jobs that require the solid and dependable characteristics of physical mechanics, like a throttle linkage. I also think jobs that require human contact, which by nature should concern all of us in the humanities, are prime candidates for critical analysis when technological advancement is being considered in the classroom. The idea from Selber concerning “what is lost as well as what is gained” plays a big role in this area.

Even though I do believe that technology in the classroom is going to mushroom and that someday in the near future we will be composing in wonderful new ways, the core of what we teach –– our identity as human beings concerned with our own growth and the growth of others –– has to remain our primary concern. Continually reminding ourselves of this aim is a good way to keep from inadvertently creating a sterile technological environment in the classroom, or thoughtlessly counting on technology to take care of too much for us. No matter what the outcome of Toyota’s problem, it is beginning to look like the damage done to their reputation is already irreversible. If we want to keep safe the reputation of the humanities as an area concerned with the study of the human condition, then we’d do well to look long and hard with a critical eye before overusing technology in areas requiring human interaction.