Carr's article starts off quoting a very eerie scene from Kubrick's, "2001: A Space Odyssey." In the scene, HAL 9000, a questionably sentient supercomputer, is having his memory drives slowly pulled out one by one by Dave, the space faring protagonist. With each memory card pulled, Hal becomes progressively less intelligent. This is allusory to how artificial our human intelligence is becoming. Carr uses this example to set the tone for the article, in a very poetic way. The article is about the way the internet has altered the way people think, learn, and read. Kubrick's sample illustrates how machines are becoming more human like, and humans are the ones who are becoming artificial. .
When he said, "I've had an uncomfortable sense that someone, or something, has been tinkering with my brain, remapping the neural circuitry, reprogramming the memory," Carr is expressing that he physically feels his mind changing. He feels that the internet is making him think impulsively and short-term. He gives evidence through various thought experiments, scientific studies, and related anecdotes. .
One of Carr's most conclusive arguments uses a research study performed by the University College of London. In this example, he tries to prove his hypothesis empirically, with scientific evidence. The study says that people doing online research are more likely to skim through and not, "fully read," the article. Carr uses the research to give his hypothesis credibility. The data shows that Carr may be on to something. Not only does Carr appeal to the readers from a logical, scientific perspective, he also adds evidence philosophically. He uses to the phrase, "intellectual technologies," a term coined by sociologist Daniel Bell, to explain how certain pieces of technology can affect the way the mind works. Carr uses the example of the mechanical clock. Before the mechanical clock, Carr argues, that time was associated with events.
