The Uncanny Valley and the Ghost in the Machine

The Uncanny Valley and the Ghost in the Machine

Introduction: There is a postulated level of anthropomorphism where people feel uncanny about the appearance of a robot. But what happens if digital facsimiles and online editions become nigh indistinguishable from the real, yet materially remaining so vastly different? How do we ethically provide access to the digital object without creating a blindspot and neglect for the real thing. A question that keeps digital librarian Dot Porter awake and which she ponders in this thoughtful contribution.

Zur Epistemologie digitaler Methoden in den Geisteswissenschaften

Introduction: What is the precise impact of digital humanities on the humanities in general? That this influence exists seems a given, but how the digital humanities impact humanities methodology en epistemology is still an open question. This article delves deeper into this problem of epistemology and presents a model of five ‘polarities’ along which these influences can be positioned.