Technology as a Burden and a Blessing Technological advancements offer the illusion of wisdom through information consumption, rather than true knowledge. Each technology carries both benefits and drawbacks, altering the dynamics of society. While tools can enhance knowledge, they also erode traditional foundations like oral storytelling. Transitioning to the digital era, technology transforms language and images into data, leading to innovations like chatbots using GPT models. Postman warns that digital technology’s focus on computational symbols can dehumanize our relationship with nature, defining it as mere data to process and viewing humans as mere information processors.
Speaker 1
You have invented an elixir not of memory, but of reminding, and you offer your pupils the appearance of wisdom, not true wisdom, for they will read many things without instruction, And will therefore seem to know many things, when they are for the most part ignorant and hard to get along with, since they are not wise, but only appear wise. Reflecting on the myth, Postman observes that every technology is both a burden and a blessing. Not either -or, but this and that. The very tool that promises to expand humans’ knowledge also robs them of their oral tradition. It makes new winners, adepts of the written word, and new losers, the elders who had been memory’s guardians. To update Postman’s telling, Thoth was setting in motion a chain of discoveries that would, in due course, transform words and images to digital tokens, and so give rise to chat GPT. Postman argues that digital technology, which reduces all meaning to symbols that a machine can compute, tends to change our view of nature and ourselves. We come to regard nature as mere information to be processed, and human beings as mere processors of that information.Impact of Digital Technology on Human Perception Digital technology’s reduction of meaning to machine-computable symbols alters our perspective on nature and humanity, viewing them as mere information to be processed. Following this path, we risk becoming instruments of the tools we employ. Postman exemplified his beliefs by shunning digital tools to stay connected to a disappearing analog world. While highlighting historical technological revolutions, he occasionally overlooks their positive aspects, like scrutinizing modern medicine’s flaws excessively and downplaying its successes. Postman emphasizes the unpredictability of innovative effects, citing how Gutenberg’s printing press unintentionally fragmented Western Christendom. He reflects on how each technological shift marks the end of an era.
Speaker 1
Postman argues that digital technology, which reduces all meaning to symbols that a machine can compute, tends to change our view of nature and ourselves. We come to regard nature as mere information to be processed, and human beings as mere processors of that information. To the extent we allow the machine’s logic to become our own, we’ll become tools of our tools in Thoreau’s phrase. The real -life postman practiced what he preached, eschewing digital tools such as word processors and cruise control. He chose to remain in an analog world that was vanishing as he wrote. In surveying the technological revolutions of the past, he’s always glancing wistfully backward. This sometimes gives him blind spots. For example, he makes much of the flaws of modern medicine, while giving short shrift to its achievements. He’s fascinated by the unpredictability of the effects of innovation, noting how the invention of the printing press by the pious Johannes Gutenberg had the unintended consequence Of destroying the unity of Western Christendom. With each such shift, a world ends.Technological Change is Ecological Technological change is not simply additive or subtractive, but rather ecological, meaning that one significant change can generate total change. The speaker highlights how embracing the logic of machines can lead humans to become tools of their tools, referencing Thoreau’s perspective. The real-life postman exemplifies this concept by shunning digital tools and dwelling in an analog world that is fading away. He tends to look back wistfully at technological revolutions, sometimes causing blind spots in his analysis. The postman emphasizes the unpredictability of innovation’s effects, such as the unintended consequences of the printing press in disrupting Western Christendom’s unity.
Speaker 1
To the extent we allow the machine’s logic to become our own, we’ll become tools of our tools in Thoreau’s phrase. The real -life postman practiced what he preached, eschewing digital tools such as word processors and cruise control. He chose to remain in an analog world that was vanishing as he wrote. In surveying the technological revolutions of the past, he’s always glancing wistfully backward. This sometimes gives him blind spots. For example, he makes much of the flaws of modern medicine, while giving short shrift to its achievements. He’s fascinated by the unpredictability of the effects of innovation, noting how the invention of the printing press by the pious Johannes Gutenberg had the unintended consequence Of destroying the unity of Western Christendom. With each such shift, a world ends. Technological change is neither additive nor subtractive. It is ecological. I mean ecological in the same sense as the word is used by environmental scientists. One significant change generates total change. A new technology does not add or subtract something. It changes everything.Balancing Offline Life with Virtual Reality The virtual world can consume one’s life if not balanced with offline interests and relationships. There are significant online communities of individuals not engaged in traditional activities like education or work. Some individuals, like HIKI KOMORI, live as digital hermits. The risk of a totalitarian technocracy, as warned by Postman in Technopoly, where tech elites dominate the population, has not materialized despite the rapid advancement in technology over the years.
Speaker 1
Unless counterbalanced by offline interests, work, and friendships, the virtual world can swallow up a life. Luca seems to be far from alone. There are substantial online communities from Neats, not in education, employment, or training, and HIKI KOMORI, a Japanese term for young people who spend their lives as digital Hermits in bedrooms. One Reddit user explained when asked why he became a Neat. Growing up, I had zero friends and would just skip school to stay at home and play video games. Nothing much has changed now, except I don’t go to school of course. In Technopoly, Postman warns of the coming of a totalitarian technocracy. He seems to have meant an actual political takeover, in which tech elites control the rest of the population with powerful tools that secure their dominance. Thirty -two years after his book appeared, this dystopia has not materialized, despite the continuous exponential growth in computing power that has led to vastly more potent machines.The Deeper Threat of Technology on the Individual Soul Postman’s warning of a technocracy has not materialized, with tech moguls facing antitrust investigations rather than seizing dictatorial power. The deeper threat from technology now lies in its impact on the individual soul, as virtual reality and AI chatbots improve at satisfying human needs for love, purpose, and adventure.
Speaker 1
Growing up, I had zero friends and would just skip school to stay at home and play video games. Nothing much has changed now, except I don’t go to school of course. In Technopoly, Postman warns of the coming of a totalitarian technocracy. He seems to have meant an actual political takeover, in which tech elites control the rest of the population with powerful tools that secure their dominance. Thirty -two years after his book appeared, this dystopia has not materialized, despite the continuous exponential growth in computing power that has led to vastly more potent machines. Today’s tech moguls wield immense influence, yet are far more likely to face antitrust investigations than they are to seize dictatorial power. While technopoly focuses society and systems, the deeper threat from technology today may be its effect on the individual soul. As virtual reality improves and AI chatbots grow more credible as friends and romantic partners, our tools are getting better at hacking our deepest human needs for love, purpose, And adventure.Harnessing Community in the Age of Technology Embracing community is crucial in navigating the advancements and potential risks of technology. Rather than relying solely on individual actions, collective responses are key in preserving humanity’s essence in the face of technological changes. Building robust flesh-and-blood communities can help counter the negative impacts of technology, setting common norms and shaping humans in a more authentic manner.
Speaker 1
The same large language model technologies that fuel worries about AI hold out the promise of even better treatments for future people with diabetes. We can’t get the good without running the risk of the bad. How, then, can we live well with tech? For starters, by doubling down on the analog version of the very thing that tech products so often promise, community. Both Postman and Hite in different ways help us to see that the challenge of tech is collective. Our response, too, must be collective. Lonely acts of defiance, while often necessary, only get you so far. If, as seems likely, we’re facing another round of postman’s ecological change, we must become all the more active in nurturing flesh and blood communities that are robust enough To keep technology in its place. That can be as simple as a network of parents setting common norms for their families, or it can be a circle of friends, a school, a company, a church, or a commonwealth. Whatever form, a strong communal culture can push back against pressure from technologies to shape humans in anti -human ways. That’s what my own community, the Bruderhof, is trying to do on a small scale.Embrace Technological Revolutions Technological revolutions bring about the end of one world and the beginning of another. Each advancement has led to loss but also enabled great achievements like written literature and tools. This cycle of progress is natural and should not be feared. It is essential for humanity to assert control over technology, fostering strong communities and using tools in service of human betterment.
Speaker 1
Spend time outdoors. Watch sunsets and moonrises. Plant vegetables. Go birdwatching or fishing or hunting. Raise puppies and rabbits and pigs. Famous was right. With each technological revolution, a world ends. But a world also begins. Fath’s invention of writing brought the loss of oral traditions, while also making possible the composition of the Bible, not to mention the works of Plato, Dante, and Shakespeare. 70 millennia ago, a world ended and another began with the invention of the bow and arrow. No doubt the same will happen again when the next technological frontier is broken. That’s nothing to be afraid of, so long as we remember to proudly assert the freedom that belongs to humankind by right. We must remain the masters of our tools. For that, we need strong communities of the sort that many people around the world are striving to foster, some feature in this magazine. And we need to shape and use our tools in service of our human vocation so that we can build not baibles but arcs.
