ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – HOPE OR DOOM

Humanity has always strived to find new ways to facilitate our way of living and communication. Once upon a time, there were the ancient civilizations, then came the Industrial Revolution and, most recently, the enormous progress in the field of computer technologies. At first, all of these developments were accepted as era-defining and vastly positive assets for the human race. However, as witnessed by almost all of us, things weren’t always as black and white as they seemed; there was a consistent grey area inside the human psyche that these undertakings, no matter how conveniently looking to be, if gone wrong, they could spell doom to our society. Many scientists, fiction writers and humanists such as Isaac Asimov, Stephen Hawking, Michio Kaku, etc. have continuously expressed a worrying viewpoint on these issues in general and on Artificial Intelligence in particular. In this paper, we will examine both the positive and negative views regarding AI and give a balanced analysis in trying to help the reader to have a more knowledgeable stance towards this matter. We will draw a line between what is considered science and science fiction, and what is probable and possible to happen in the mysterious future that awaits us.Keywords: AI, cyberwar, robotics, technology, humanity

USING J.D. SALINGER’S THE CATCHER IN THE RYE IN THE CLASSROOM

There are many works in the world of literature that have dazzled us with their fascinating stories; their specific way of using vocabulary and their magical ability to take us and lead us to an imaginary world where we can experience what the characters of that work are experiencing. Such literary masterpieces make us think deep, while trying to understand them given the context in which they have been written. The Catcher in the Rye is without a doubt one of those books that challenge the way we see the world around us; challenge that which we believe is true and what consider a lie. Therefore, it is no wonder why we have chosen this work so we can analyze it and try to find ways how we can inject it in our classrooms. Yes, it is true that the book has a very specific and “hard” language that many students may find it inappropriate; nevertheless, it represents a unique way of vocabulary usage and a particular style of reflecting human emotions.Keywords:  The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger, classroom, teaching, learning