O Totem Máquina. O futuro da identidade e o futuro da comunidade na máquina universal

Abstract

Concrete forms of the sociability of humans are increasingly influenced by new types of objects. Artifi cial agents or «smart objects» are more and more interspersed in the relations among humans in society. Phenomena such as «automated trading» or the «Internet of Things» exemplify a metamorphosis of objects having an increasing impact in specific domains of social interaction. This paper interrogates this reality with the tools of a debate in Anthropology, the debate over totemism and animism in (so called primitive) non-Western societies. This debate, which develops from a few decades ago and is still alive today, provides concepts that help to question ideas and historical experiences of the Sciences of the Artifi cial (specifi cally, Artifi cial Intelligence). More recent phenomena are also placed in perspective from this “metamorphosis of objects” point of view.
Keywords: Sciences of the Artifi cial, Anthropology, Metamorphosis of Objects, Internet of Things.