Rhetoric

Content 1. Choose your audience and speak to it If you were writing for a person who knows just what you know, you wouldn’t have to be writing. Imagine a reader who is a moderately knowledgeable computer sciences sophomore. Ask yourself “How much explanation must I offer my imaginary reader?”. Keep adding details until you believe your reader would be comfortable. If in doubt, err on the side of too much explanation.

Content 2. Don’t overstate Be careful with universals. “Everybody knows p” means “There exists no one who does not know p”. It does not mean “Several friends say p”. Test yourself on your claims: ask yourself “How do I justify that?”. Modify them until you feel comfortable that what you said is what you can justify if challenged – but guarantee that by challenging yourself.

Overstatements Every time a robot is invented, everyone becomes extremely interested and curious.

Overstatements Technology continues to be an overwhelming presence in today’s world with Americans’ daily use of the internet and the personal computer.

Making an Argument Worst: “Robots will never be conscious, intelligent beings.”

Making an Argument Equally bad: “I don’t think that robots will ever be conscious, intelligent beings.”

Making an Argument Not actually much better: “Robots will never be conscious, intelligent beings because they aren’t like us.”

Making an Argument Only a very tiny bit better: “Robots will never be conscious, intelligent beings because they are purely digital while the neurons in our brains are also influenced by hormones and other chemicals in their environment.”

Making an Argument Only better for particular audiences: “Robots will never be conscious, intelligent beings because says that people are special.”

Making an Argument Not much better: “Robots will never be conscious, intelligent beings because they only do what they’re programmed to do.”

Making an Argument Slightly better: “Robots will never be conscious, intelligent beings because they don’t perceive and act in the world.”

Making an Argument Much better: “Conscious, intelligent behavior appears to require the ability to do all of the following things: Balance conflicting goals. Perceive and interact with the world. Learn from experience. Apply a massive amount of knowledge to solve problems in real time. So it is unlikely that robots will be able to act like conscious, intelligent beings until they too can do these things.”

Paper and Paragraph Structure

Sentences

Written and Spoken Language Talking came (way) first.

Written and Spoken Language Talking came (way) first. Writing captures speech for later. So read your paper out loud to yourself. If it sounds bad, it probably is bad.

Written and Spoken Language Talking came (way) first. Writing captures speech for later. So read your paper out loud to yourself. If it sounds bad, it probably is bad. But there are a few differences.

Clunky Sentence Structure As always, that which is unknown is the most frightening.

Clunky Sentence Structure The unique choice for a flute as an instrument was because …

Clunky Sentence Structure Another important representative in the saga over artificial intelligence in ancient mythology is Hephaestus.

Clunky Sentence Structure You must first take a closer look at each individual law separately and from numerous amount of angles. One particular angle that opens up a vast array of uncertainty is …

Clunky Sentence Structure Therefore intelligence comes with the capability of fairly accurately predicting the consequences of a given action whether desired or undesired.

Clunky Sentence Structure The issue with rationing is the possibility of a black market to surge.

Clunky Sentence Structure Even animals such as snakes will learn over time as to which animals are desirable to eat, and will be given no example from those of their same species to follow.

Vocabulary Man has always shown an unprecedented desire to advance our tools.

Vocabulary Our way of life, so heavily relied upon technology, portrays the stark contrast to the days of manual labor.

Vocabulary Using that definition one can acquire that a robot is made to simulate real behavior.

Vocabulary Using that definition one can acquire that a robot is made to simulate real behavior.

Vocabulary The rest of the brain comprises the basics of a complex living organism.

Vocabulary Deep Blue portrays not an actual machine that learns to play chess, but instead is another plain object which carries the capacity of programming.

Vocabulary … extremely unique …

Vocabulary... desire to fulfill a sense of loneliness …

Subcategorization Rules … sensory predictions on what the door should be like

Subcategorization Rules Almost destroyed, it could do nothing to counteract against the onslaught.

Subcategorization Rules We create concepts to gain common sense on what will happen if …

Subcategorization Rules It may not be adequate as justification to certain ideas.

Pronouns and Antecedents When the receiver obtains it, they would send it to the government.

Reduced Relative Clauses This first situation presented brings up many …

Quantifiers and Negation Robots can only walk on even surfaces.

Dangling Modifiers Zuse realizes the technology will eventually become an artificial brain in 1938.

Dangling Modifiers One has to calculate the ball’s trajectory when it reaches the arm, involving a set of mathematical equations.

Dangling Modifiers The next two examples are creations of Jacques de Vaucanson, which took on unique features to fool humans.

Dangling Modifiers The second law will conflict when multiple orders are given to a robot by different people that are contrasting.

Dangling Modifiers The stereotype of the crazed, mad scientist secretly working in their laboratory on a creation that could be dangerous to all has also become a fixture of pop culture, which may have started with Frankenstein’s story.

Dangling Modifiers Much the same occurs with all mammals and birds who are raised by their parents.

Parallel Structure Therefore to achieve intelligence, one must not just be able to change behavior, but create concepts that will allow for the being to analyze and relatively efficiently handle new challenges.

Parallel Structure This robot stood at five and a half feet tall, made out of wood, and painted white to simulate marble.

Which, That, Who It represents the thoughts of so many current conservatives that currently live in the world.

Which, That, Who … such as the mechanical duck which could simply digest food.

Which, That, Who These robots are given the three laws which they must abide by.

Which, That, Who It is ingrained that things, which are unfamiliar, in most cases can be dangerous.

Split Infinitives The robots of the movie industry need to only stay in the movie industry and never arrive in the world of the real.

Split Infinitives … because it is programmed to never kill a human.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves

A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air. "Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder. "I'm a panda," he says at the door. "Look it up.“ The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation. "Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."

Commas In order to do this his goal was …

Commas They are developed over time generally by observed example.

Where Writing Differs (or Not) from Speaking - Colloquialisms Our world is so brilliant and compartmentalized. If you have ever seen the movie, I Robot, Will Smith hated robots. As, we all know, the Turing Test …

Where Writing Differs (or Not) from Speaking – Grammar (My Opinion) None of these traits are found in humans. not ok … robots that people can relate to … ok

Citations … until in 1978 when a man named Vernon Mountcastle published a paper titled, “…”.

Citations … until in 1978 when a man named Vernon Mountcastle published a paper titled, “…”. until the publication of “…” [Mountcastle 1978].