Any successful technology is made by people to serve them - but the process of learning how to use that technology, makes people adapt to that technology, and changes who they are. In some fundamental ways, they are not usually aware of. Technology and the society that uses it, both evolve together.
This raises the question of just what technology is. The Industrial Revolution, for example - involved the invention, and use of machines - but was more than that. It was more like a religious fervor - involving a complete restructuring of society. And not necessarily for the better.
People did not decide to make such a huge change - but the force of circumstances, made them change anyway.
The latest change in circumstances, has been the Computer. That is also changing who we are, completely. And, as before, most people are not aware of this - and insist they are not being changed at all.
Computer people, by contrast - are aware of how they are changing society. This is what they concentrate on, with amazing intensity - making the Computer useful for People. And making People useful for the Computer. Both changes at the same time.
They occasionally ask themselves about the ethics of this. But only occasionally. They are Computer people, not Philosophers. And they easily revert to the Industrial mode of fast profits - at the expense of everyone else.
Monday, January 15, 2018
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