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Technology and Humanism
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10061 |
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MODERN THOUGHT
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4 / 1986 |
2,486 Words |
| Author
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Herbert I. London
Herbert I. London is Dean of the Gallatin Division of New York
University and National Chairman of Visions of the Future
Education Program of the Hudson Institute. |
"No machine will increase the possibilities of life." --John Ruskin
"Faith in machinery is our besetting danger: often in machinery most absurdly disproportioned to the end which this machinery, if it is to do any good at all, is to serve; but always in machinery, as if it had a value in and for itself." --Matthew Arnold
There is no event that has shaped the character of this century as much as the introduction of technology. We are at a point in historical evolution when the myth of Daedalus is upon us. Machines, it has been argued, save us from ourselves. They are the new slaves in a new world, a world in which personal fulfillment can be achieved as never before. Aristotle wrote, with extraordinary prescience: "There is only one condition in which we can imagine managers not needing subordinates, and masters not needing slaves. This condition would be that each (inanimate) instrument could do its own work, at the word of command or by intelligent anticipation, like the statues of Daedalus…"
When Descartes described "the ghost in the machine," he was arguing metaphorically for the mind-body dichotomy. However the ghost in the contemporary machine is the anthropomorphic quality we've attributed to technology. The prevailing belief that technology possesses Zeus-like powers to solve our woe, eliminate poverty and make us feel better about ourselves has to a great degree been realized. For the first time in human history mankind is largely in control of nature. This is due to technology. However, the more that technology does the more we expect it to do. This is the contemporary version of the Faustian deal. The more we get, the more we expect.
We are told that if we brush with one toothpaste as opposed to another, we'll have a better sex life. If we dress in fashionable clothes, we'll get better jobs. If we use the right deodorant, we'll be loved by our family. If we drive a sporty car, we'll have the glow of youth. Yet, after we've washed, brushed, dressed, sprayed and driven with the right product, we find that we are no more desirable than we were before. The promise of the good life through the world of technology is true. The promise of the ideal life through technology is bogus. It isn't that technology can't deliver a fine car or a good soap. It can and does. The problem as I see it is we have so exaggerated the consequences of technology's products that it is impossible for our expectations to be realized. For many, the result is anguish. Having played the roles prescribed by the advertisers, many find that their
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