Technical activity automatically eliminates every nontechnical activity or transforms it into technical activity. This does not mean, however, that there is any conscious effort or directive will. Jacques Ellul
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Question for Dreyfus
Up until this last chapter, Dreyfus has explained all the not so good things that have come from the internet. Now he is eagerly showing us how our views of it can be reformed to use the internet correctly, according to him. My question is this: Does he realistically think that this is something that can happen? Can everyone take his words and understand them so that they use the internet, not to replace social activities and not to be come isolated, depressed, or lonely. As I have experienced, unless you are one of those rare 'go-getters,' human nature is to be lazy. It takes effort to go out and do social things. There is risk of embarrassment, awkwardness, or even just the uneasiness felt when among many people. That risk is lost while on the internet because there is no commitment needed. If you feel uncomfortable in a situation on the internet (which is unlikely because nobody on the internet really knows who you are anyway, even if they do know your name), you can always just leave the site. No worries. Using human history as a reference, if something can be made easier, that is the route humanity will take. Even if it does cause harm somewhere else, e.g. factories causing pollution or the use of lumber disintegrating the rainforests. There are those tree huggers that do their best to preserve those things, but I don't think humans can be blamed for their desire to have things made easier for them. It is the way of nature. So, if the opportunity came for humans to have things made simpler by using the internet, but not in the reformed way proposed by Dreyfus, I would think that they would take it and have not a second thought about it.
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