posted on Jan, 12 2010 @ 12:10 PM
reply to post by Magnum007
We have to realize that technology has many negative side effects. It is neither good or evil. Yet it easily robs peoples of their very culture,
heritage, and shared values. It can also be a tool for subjugating large numbers of people by creating knowledge monopolies. It can also have the very
effect Ron claims. It can make people too dependent and strip them of naturual abilities.
I remember reading an article about a tribe of "scribes" from India. They were responsible for remembering the history of important families and
religion. Some westerners thought it would be a good idea to teach them to write down these histories and epic poems. What they learned is that as the
"scribes" learned to write they began to forget the poems and stories. They became dependent on the recall allowed by reading what was written. They
actually stopped trying to teach the people to write because they were afraid of losing hundreds of years of histories.
When the clock was first brought in to use in Europe the purpose was for monks to remember the times for prayer. Now look at how the clock rules and
regulates our lives today. It was originally a tool for religous observance. Now it is a force that dominates how we act and think. It has given rise
to the efficency expert, time cards, apointment calendars, and caused untold amounts of stress.
The printing press broke the knowledge monopoly the Catholic church held over European society for an age. It gave rise to the Reformation and
resulting wars, violence, and societal upheaval. The resulting pamphlets, books, and papers lead to the age of enlightenment, and in a way to the
formation of the United States of America.
We can never see what the "end game" is for a technology. Once unleashed in to a society it will follow its own course. We must accept that it will
effect us in both positive and negative means. It will take nearly as much as it gives. To say there is no down side to the internet is just as
disingenuous as saying it is evil.
You have to remeber that the same internet that gives us this forum is the the one that lets people steal copywrite protected materials and cost
others millions of dollars every year. The same internet that let you find your high school friends again lets the mothers of high school kids "cyber
bully" their neighbor's kids. It gives us the ability to learn something about anything we desire. However, we can never rarely tell if what we
learn is the truth. It tends to be an enviroment where truth is defined by consensus instead of facts.
If we must judge Ron harshly let it be because he fails to see both sides. Do not allow yourself to become a technophile that embraces all new
technologies blindly.
[edit on 12-1-2010 by MikeNice81]