“Is Google Making us Stupid” 1. “Is Google Making us stupid?” How does Nicholas Carr answer this question, and what evidence does he provide to support his answer?

1. “Is Google Making us stupid?” How does Nicholas Carr answer this question, and what evidence does he provide to support his answer?

2. What possible objections to his own position does Carr introduce–and why do you think he does so? How effectively does he counter these objections?

3. Car begins the essay by quoting an exchange between HAL and Dave, a supercomputer and an astronaut in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey– and he concludes by reflecting on that scene. What happens to HAL and Dave, and how does this outcome support his argument.

5. In his essay on pp. 340-60, Clive Thompson reaches a different conclusion then Carr does, saying that “At their best, today’s digital tools help us see more, retain more, communicate more. At their worst, the leave us prey to the manipulation of the bookmakers. But on balance… What is happening is deeply positive.” Write a paragraph or two discussing how Carr might respond. What would he agree with, and what would he disagree with?