Comments on: (Nothing But) Flowers http://internetsophism.wordpress.com/2006/08/01/nothing-but-flowers/ Thoughts from a Discount Philosopher and Technologist Sat, 07 Oct 2006 01:01:38 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: poseidon715 http://internetsophism.wordpress.com/2006/08/01/nothing-but-flowers/#comment-268 poseidon715 Tue, 05 Sep 2006 14:36:59 +0000 https://internetsophism.wordpress.com/2006/08/29/nothing-but-flowers/#comment-268 Nice comment. The neo-luddite sentiments expressed in this post are a bit rash, and perhaps reactionary. It isn't possible or preferable to throw away all culture and technology, for in that very process we are merely replacing one set of social conventions and "advances" with another. The importance, I think, is in the awareness of our current culture as an artificial social construct on par with many other cultures. The argument for the march of progress often blinds us to the many negative aspects of the technologies we are advancing. Some out-of-the-box thinking is required for dealing with the issues of technology and culture as many of the its negative aspects, such as environmental damage and human health, are coming to a head. While we consider new innovative solutions, let us not forget an important illustration: if a man realizes that he is traveling down the wrong road, the fastest way for him to reach his destination is not to continue along that same path, but to turn around and regress the path he is on. So do I think we need to throw "progress" to the wind and start over? No. But I don't think that technological progress for its own sake is the right road either. Nice comment.

The neo-luddite sentiments expressed in this post are a bit rash, and perhaps reactionary. It isn’t possible or preferable to throw away all culture and technology, for in that very process we are merely replacing one set of social conventions and “advances” with another. The importance, I think, is in the awareness of our current culture as an artificial social construct on par with many other cultures. The argument for the march of progress often blinds us to the many negative aspects of the technologies we are advancing.

Some out-of-the-box thinking is required for dealing with the issues of technology and culture as many of the its negative aspects, such as environmental damage and human health, are coming to a head.

While we consider new innovative solutions, let us not forget an important illustration: if a man realizes that he is traveling down the wrong road, the fastest way for him to reach his destination is not to continue along that same path, but to turn around and regress the path he is on.

So do I think we need to throw “progress” to the wind and start over? No. But I don’t think that technological progress for its own sake is the right road either.

]]> By: tellitlikeitis http://internetsophism.wordpress.com/2006/08/01/nothing-but-flowers/#comment-185 tellitlikeitis Wed, 30 Aug 2006 03:45:28 +0000 https://internetsophism.wordpress.com/2006/08/29/nothing-but-flowers/#comment-185 It's certainly worth thinking about that our "enlightened" progress has a very weighty dark side. But the idea that it is all or nothing, one way or the other, is an illusion of perspective brought about by the fact that humankind existed 200,000 years before the Industrial Revolution of less than 200 years ago. The means of the past 200 years to get to the ends at present represent, hopefully, only the first stab in a series of trials and errors that may ultimately lead to a balance between the Pizza Hut and the daisies. That humanity is in a state of denial about its impact on the world is evident and extremely, grossly problematic, but one needn't result to apocalyptic scenarios to bring home the point. Incidentally, I'm a huge fan of Talking Heads, especially <i>Remain in Light</i> and <i>Fear of Music</i>. Enjoyed your blog and looking forward to more...thanks! It’s certainly worth thinking about that our “enlightened” progress has a very weighty dark side. But the idea that it is all or nothing, one way or the other, is an illusion of perspective brought about by the fact that humankind existed 200,000 years before the Industrial Revolution of less than 200 years ago. The means of the past 200 years to get to the ends at present represent, hopefully, only the first stab in a series of trials and errors that may ultimately lead to a balance between the Pizza Hut and the daisies. That humanity is in a state of denial about its impact on the world is evident and extremely, grossly problematic, but one needn’t result to apocalyptic scenarios to bring home the point.

Incidentally, I’m a huge fan of Talking Heads, especially Remain in Light and Fear of Music. Enjoyed your blog and looking forward to more…thanks!

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