Thursday, January 11, 2007
Am I Really a Luddite?
No, not really. If I were, I would feel the need to explain away the irony of creating this blog. Nevertheless, I am sure I feel some sympathy for those in the original movement. According to the conventional telling, the first Luddites were upset by the use of new looms that could produce fabric more quickly, despite being operated by less skilled workers. They were concerned that the industrial revolution would lead to a massive change in culture to the detriment of society.
The fears of the Luddites were probably misplaced. While it is certainly true that the demand for skilled workers in some trades decreased considerably, the rapid advancement of technology has improved the general quality of life in industrialized countries. We live longer, travel to far-off lands, eat fresh fruit year-round, and have all kinds of conveniences that our 18th- or 19th-century forefathers could not even imagine. Innovation has also led to a large number of new trades and occupations for which new skills have developed. And even today, the old trades continue in the works of artisans whose study and practice of the old ways of doing things are valued by many consumers.
Yet for all of this progress -- and it truly is progress -- so many of us feel alienated from modern life by precisely the same advancements that have made modern life so wonderful* Why should this be? Is it simply a part of the human condition to yearn for a simpler time when life was less complicated? I believe that is a part of it. But in my own life, I can point to specific examples where a new technology or some kind of progress has been the direct result of stress or concern.
That is why I am writing this blog. I want to examine what it is about living in the modern world that can be so unnerving. I also want to see if it is possible to rediscover some of the simplicity that I sense is missing from life today. It may be all a pie in the sky, but I believe that it is worth thinking about innovations and evaluating whether they can be profitably applied to life. This blog will deal not only with technology, but also culture, religion, work, and (occasionally) politics. It is written primarily for my own benefit, but I welcome all to comment and participate.
*Of course, I am aware that a good number of thinkers don't consider today 'modern' at all. Whether our society is post-modern or post-post-modern is an interesting topic, and probably relevant to what I hope to discuss here, but not really something I intend to get into at the very outset. Instead, I am using the word 'modern' as shorthand for 'present-day.' And since I studied history in college, I will probably also use it to mean 'relating to the period beginning roughly around the time of the Italian renaissance and continuing to the present day.'
The fears of the Luddites were probably misplaced. While it is certainly true that the demand for skilled workers in some trades decreased considerably, the rapid advancement of technology has improved the general quality of life in industrialized countries. We live longer, travel to far-off lands, eat fresh fruit year-round, and have all kinds of conveniences that our 18th- or 19th-century forefathers could not even imagine. Innovation has also led to a large number of new trades and occupations for which new skills have developed. And even today, the old trades continue in the works of artisans whose study and practice of the old ways of doing things are valued by many consumers.
Yet for all of this progress -- and it truly is progress -- so many of us feel alienated from modern life by precisely the same advancements that have made modern life so wonderful* Why should this be? Is it simply a part of the human condition to yearn for a simpler time when life was less complicated? I believe that is a part of it. But in my own life, I can point to specific examples where a new technology or some kind of progress has been the direct result of stress or concern.
That is why I am writing this blog. I want to examine what it is about living in the modern world that can be so unnerving. I also want to see if it is possible to rediscover some of the simplicity that I sense is missing from life today. It may be all a pie in the sky, but I believe that it is worth thinking about innovations and evaluating whether they can be profitably applied to life. This blog will deal not only with technology, but also culture, religion, work, and (occasionally) politics. It is written primarily for my own benefit, but I welcome all to comment and participate.
*Of course, I am aware that a good number of thinkers don't consider today 'modern' at all. Whether our society is post-modern or post-post-modern is an interesting topic, and probably relevant to what I hope to discuss here, but not really something I intend to get into at the very outset. Instead, I am using the word 'modern' as shorthand for 'present-day.' And since I studied history in college, I will probably also use it to mean 'relating to the period beginning roughly around the time of the Italian renaissance and continuing to the present day.'
