Do you think the relationship between the software (computer programs) and the hardware of a computer is very much like the relationship between the mind (soul) and the body of a human being? Why or why not?

Sample reflection A: (No. Predictability and source code …)

I do not think that the relationship between software and hardware reflects very much the relationship between the soul and body in human beings. Although software does have a certain degree of intangibility that could be compared to the human soul, the fact that the source code does actually exist and can be viewed or edited only allows this comparison to go so far. The software part of a computer is to me as lifeless and robotic (although interesting) as the hardware, whereas the mind is the unpredictable element that gives human life such distinction from either.

Sample reflection B: (No. Emotion, rationality, will …)

I think that the relation of software to hardware is quite unlike the relationship of soul to body, for two reasons. 1. Software is very unlike a human soul, since it is devoid of a will, rationality, emotional capacities, desire, etc. 2. The relationship between software and hardware appears to be asymmetrical: that is, the kind of hardware one has affects the ability of the software to function, while the software will not affect the ability of the hardware to function. The soul and body are much more united than this, and causality can occur in one or the other creating effects in its counterpart

Sample reflection C: (Yes. Connections … and intelligent design)

In several ways, the relationship between computers’ software and hardware does indeed seem strikingly analogous to that which exists between humans’ mind/soul and body. The degree of independency and mutual dependency seen in the relationship in each pair suggests some degree of correspondence, and specific connections between the corresponding elements (software and mind/soul; hardware and body) further underscore the connection, as do more general observations about the two pairs.

In terms of the relationship between each pair, the sort of independence and dependence exhibited seems similar in both cases. Computer software and computer hardware can exist independently of each other, just as a human soul and a human body can each exist while separated after death and before the resurrection. At the same time, in order to function fully, the elements of each pair depend on each other. A computer program (software) cannot operate without the computer hardware. The hardware also cannot perform the processes that the software is programmed to perform, unless it has had access to the software to gain the needed instructions. Thus the Wikipedia article (assigned for class) states, “A computer requires programs to function, and a computer program does nothing unless its instructions are executed by a central processor” (“Computer Program”). Likewise, the human body does nothing when not indwelt by a soul, and the human soul is inaccessible to us on earth after it has separated from its body in death. In fact, this may be the case even before death, if something damages the body so that the soul can no longer use it to accomplish its will. This would seem analogous to situation of computer software on a computer with damaged hardware. Therefore, the relationship between computer software and hardware and the relationship between the human body and soul seems similar in the interrelatedness of the parts of each pair.

Specific similarities between the elements of each pair further bolster this analogy. Hardware, for instance, requires energy to run—as do human bodies. Software works on many levels (operating systems, utility programs, etc.) (“Computer Program”), and this complexity seems reminiscent of the various faculties or levels of the human mind/soul. The need for software such as compilers and interpreters to facilitate the running of programs also seems to suggest the complex functions of the human soul/mind in its introspective and interpersonal functions. Likewise, language plays an important role in human thoughts and in computer programs—even if the way language is used in each case may be somewhat different.

More generally, one might also see connections in the origin of each pair and in the level of common understanding of it. Originally, someone greater than the computer hardware and software must have made the hardware and software. Likewise, Someone greater than humans originally made the human body and mind/soul. Of course, there are differences as well, and one final parallel between these two pairs helps indicate the tentative nature of the connections highlighted above. With computer software and hardware, as with the human soul and body, many people (myself included) daily use and interact with these things, observe their relationship to each other, and yet have very little real understanding of what they are and how they work. Hopefully, as I continue to learn about computers (and human beings), I will be able to revise my understanding of this analogy and of each of the components in each pair.