Ruminations on our relationship with technology
“Is the machine going to crush humanity or serve humanity?”
– Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
Articles on technology and culture look at how technological innovation changes practically everything. After all, whenever we add a new technology to a culture, we don’t just have one plus the other. Instead, we have a new culture—a new way of life. To illustrate, just look at human history.
For instance, innovations in toolmaking precipitated the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. Later, the printing press spread Renaissance humanism and literacy. After that, large-scale machines brought on the Industrial Revolution. Lately, information technologies triggered the Digital Revolution, reshaping society in unpredictable ways. Clearly, technological changes and cultural changes are interrelated, if not inseparable.
Modern Myths, Mechanical Monsters In ancient and medieval times, mythological monsters were typically beasts, such as giants or dragons. In today’s mythical stories, most notably in science fiction films, monsters are commonly machines. Really, the Frankenstein monster was the first of these mythic, machine-like creatures, though a long line of mechanical monsters—from cyborgs to Artificial … Read more
Defining technology, according to Heidegger ‘Technology’ is one of those words that’s so commonplace, yet it’s hard to define. Computers and smart devices are technologies, but so are books and notepads. Indeed, the definition of technology may span from simple tools and utensils (hammers and spoons) to powerful machines and media (car factories and artificial … Read more
When innovation goes wrong Technological innovation is the lifeblood of our society, but at what point does it go wrong? According to Mary Shelley’s mythic story, Frankenstein, it’s when we’re no longer able to control our inventions. In Shelley’s myth, Victor Frankenstein learns this lesson after the machine-like creature he recklessly invents spins out of control … Read more
Visions of Frankenstein Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, is no doubt one of my favorite novels. It marks the dawn of a new era: a modern mythology in media, known as science fiction. Published in 1818, familiarity with the plot endures thanks to Hollywood. When a mad scientist, Victor Frankenstein, discovers how to reanimate dead matter, … Read more
Technics, art, and technology Ever since I traveled through old-world countries like Spain and Italy, I’ve been fascinated by the art of ancient technologies. After seeing the legacy of Greek and Roman architecture and aqueducts, for example, it became impossible to think science and technology were one thing while art and culture were another. There … Read more
Buddha on ‘attachment’ and its discontents My interest in Buddhism began when I was a teenager. Buddha’s philosophy of attachment and mindfulness (which I’ll recap below) always resonated with me, although applying it remains challenging in today’s busy, high-tech world. I’ve often asked myself: Were Buddha alive today, would he buy a smartphone? Would he … Read more
A cost-benefit analysis: To delete or not delete Facebook? I joined Facebook in 2009. By 2018, I deleted my account. After a decade observing how it affected our culture, I realized the costs outweighed any benefits. Taking advantage of the “Delete Facebook” movement, I seized the hashtag #deletefacebook and freed myself from the matrix. Some … Read more