Software is Not Interested in People

It is only interested in Computers. Obvious, huh?

This is not obvious to most people, however, because Software has done a terrific job of making Computers act like people. Especially the latest one - the Phone, the friendly little computer you can hold in your hand - that will do everything for you.

We need to realize there are two fundamental categories - Life, and everything else. And there is a huge difference between the two. That Software people are trying to make us forget.

There are huge advantages in making the Computer seem like a person - in making it user-friendly. But also huge dangers - its users will think it really is a person. And not only a person, but a super person, that is smarter than they are.

This is a mistake people have been making for a long time. They have allowed their things to control them. As Emerson said "Things are in the saddle, and ride mankind!"

And this suits most people just fine. They want something else to rule them, and make them better. For thousands of years, this has been a ruling class - but  ruling machines will work just as well, perhaps better.

I must say more about these machines - that people have always used. They built the pyramids, that still impress us. This Machine worked by a simple division of labor - different groups of people did different jobs. And the Machine organized their efforts. And they were rewarded, with Bread, Beer, and Onions.

Our present economy is not that different - people work at their jobs - but get money, instead of beer and bread.