i think this can’t be overstated. people like to say – as several in this thread have – that technology is just a tool. as if any tool is neutral, without cost, and without bias.
we use tools to create change – otherwise why did we create the tool in the first place – and every change we make has consequences. some good, some bad.
i dither.
as i grow older i honestly think the most important aspect about humans is not our tool usage: it’s our compassion.
when it goes awry we create in-groups and out-groups, raise war and conflict; when it goes well we create stories and children; raise gardens or cats ( pick any two. )
in one sense, all of our technology exists to try to make our lives better. not solely because technology is cool – and it is – but because making each others lives better is important.
with all that said, will we race forward full steam and the consequences be damned? probably.
do we have to? not really.
we’re reaching the point where we could satisfy the needs of every person on earth ( certainly we already have more than enough food and more than enough ability to create shelter ) – we just have to organize to do so – but, organizing is difficult, and everybody is slightly more interested in making the next whirlygig than in using our current whirlygigs to get the job done.
