Friday, February 26, 2010

Where would you go and what would you take?

In chapter 15 (The Rule of Technology) Borgmann raised an interesting point:

"They do believe that life is better in the country than in the city and that we have become too dependent on machines. But they do not find that life in the technological society is too complicated. They appreciate the comforts of present technology." (106)

So my discussion question is: if you could return to another time period, when would it be and what modern technology would you want to still have? Would you want it at all?
There are several periods I would enjoy living in, provided I had modern plumbing and medicine available: the Stone Age (hunting giant creatures sounds fun), Rome under Emperor Theodosius, and England under King Alfred the Great. Other modern technologies feel more like toys to me; they are certainly nice and comfortable, but I could go without them if had to. Plumbing and medicine are, however, rather literally close to home. Discuss.

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