Comments on: Further on the worship of technology http://thetarpit.org/2022/further-on-the-worship-of-technology "Now I feel like I know less about what that blog is about than I did before." Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:25:31 +0000 http://thetarpit.org hourly 1 By: AI and the tech serf « The Tar Pit http://thetarpit.org/2022/further-on-the-worship-of-technology#comment-6601 AI and the tech serf « The Tar Pit Fri, 27 Jun 2025 19:52:07 +0000 http://thetarpit.org/?p=451#comment-6601 [...] aspect of this whole deal, and of course, how this particular aspect influences changes in the sociopolitical landscape of what was once known as the "civilized" world. Now, "human-computer interaction" is a [...] [...] aspect of this whole deal, and of course, how this particular aspect influences changes in the sociopolitical landscape of what was once known as the "civilized" world. Now, "human-computer interaction" is a [...]

]]> By: On science « The Tar Pit http://thetarpit.org/2022/further-on-the-worship-of-technology#comment-5260 On science « The Tar Pit Thu, 15 Aug 2024 16:39:43 +0000 http://thetarpit.org/?p=451#comment-5260 [...] And I suppose that's where we draw the line and we press stop. Namely, at the point where all your "science" is in fact cheap politics. Sure, Newton was as much a politician as he was a scientist when he said that for a given action there's an equal and opposite reaction; but let us not compare Newton with today's reality TV actors slash "employees of the people". Sure, your solar panels may run on Millikan and Einstein's observations and deductions respectively, but the fact alone that science is a basis for technology9 doesn't say anything about the latter's quality. And at least in one particular framing, the latter is pure religion. [...] [...] And I suppose that's where we draw the line and we press stop. Namely, at the point where all your "science" is in fact cheap politics. Sure, Newton was as much a politician as he was a scientist when he said that for a given action there's an equal and opposite reaction; but let us not compare Newton with today's reality TV actors slash "employees of the people". Sure, your solar panels may run on Millikan and Einstein's observations and deductions respectively, but the fact alone that science is a basis for technology9 doesn't say anything about the latter's quality. And at least in one particular framing, the latter is pure religion. [...]

]]> By: spyked http://thetarpit.org/2022/further-on-the-worship-of-technology#comment-5255 spyked Tue, 13 Aug 2024 20:17:46 +0000 http://thetarpit.org/?p=451#comment-5255 > it's not immediately clear to me how ubiquitous access to technology and religiousness are influenced by one another Let's take a stab at this: for many millenia, man longed to control, and control was for a long while associated with its proxy, <em>having</em>. As accumulation of objects became commonplace in developed societies, and as foraging got replaced by deliveries from <a href="http://thetarpit.org/2021/the-chip-shortage-and-what-it-means-to-you" rel="nofollow">China</a> (or where have you), the common man also came to believe that having is enough and that control (say, over one's own fate) is no longer necessary. Thusly, in what I suppose makes for a very rudimentary "explanation", the spirit of early modern man got replaced with automatisms. The prevalence of technological automatism only served as a feedback loop that reinforced the transition of man back towards animalhood. Some may argue that the common man was always predisposed towards animalhood. That may be true, but lemme tell you: in my early years I met one <a href="http://thetarpit.org/2019/mangalia#fn:1" rel="nofollow">Dumitru</a>, a peasant from the village of Dobromir, who in his youth went to war and came back alive, and who in his old age taught me how to read and where not to shit. And he was a common man, just like you and me, get it? > it's not immediately clear to me how ubiquitous access to technology and religiousness are influenced by one another

Let's take a stab at this: for many millenia, man longed to control, and control was for a long while associated with its proxy, having. As accumulation of objects became commonplace in developed societies, and as foraging got replaced by deliveries from China (or where have you), the common man also came to believe that having is enough and that control (say, over one's own fate) is no longer necessary. Thusly, in what I suppose makes for a very rudimentary "explanation", the spirit of early modern man got replaced with automatisms. The prevalence of technological automatism only served as a feedback loop that reinforced the transition of man back towards animalhood.

Some may argue that the common man was always predisposed towards animalhood. That may be true, but lemme tell you: in my early years I met one Dumitru, a peasant from the village of Dobromir, who in his youth went to war and came back alive, and who in his old age taught me how to read and where not to shit. And he was a common man, just like you and me, get it?

]]> By: A week in the heart of Italy « The Tar Pit http://thetarpit.org/2022/further-on-the-worship-of-technology#comment-5159 A week in the heart of Italy « The Tar Pit Tue, 25 Jun 2024 19:48:38 +0000 http://thetarpit.org/?p=451#comment-5159 [...] think of a way to publicly announce these things, say, on a website or some other such wonder of technology. But it looks like Pescara ain't at that level of "digitalization" yet and I don't expect them to [...] [...] think of a way to publicly announce these things, say, on a website or some other such wonder of technology. But it looks like Pescara ain't at that level of "digitalization" yet and I don't expect them to [...]

]]> By: Nature and technology « The Tar Pit http://thetarpit.org/2022/further-on-the-worship-of-technology#comment-3929 Nature and technology « The Tar Pit Sat, 04 Mar 2023 21:44:36 +0000 http://thetarpit.org/?p=451#comment-3929 [...] from that, technology relates to nature by its very definition: technology is man's foolish attempt to imitate (and thus replace) nature. It's nothing less than that and, quite as importantly, not an [...] [...] from that, technology relates to nature by its very definition: technology is man's foolish attempt to imitate (and thus replace) nature. It's nothing less than that and, quite as importantly, not an [...]

]]> By: On intellectual feudalism « The Tar Pit http://thetarpit.org/2022/further-on-the-worship-of-technology#comment-3008 On intellectual feudalism « The Tar Pit Sun, 18 Sep 2022 16:18:11 +0000 http://thetarpit.org/?p=451#comment-3008 [...] technology wasn't accessible to the common man; it wasn't accessible either from an economical standpoint, [...] [...] technology wasn't accessible to the common man; it wasn't accessible either from an economical standpoint, [...]

]]> By: Notes on Hofstadter's Coffeehouse Conversation « The Tar Pit http://thetarpit.org/2022/further-on-the-worship-of-technology#comment-2484 Notes on Hofstadter's Coffeehouse Conversation « The Tar Pit Sat, 09 Jul 2022 13:27:10 +0000 http://thetarpit.org/?p=451#comment-2484 [...] to interact with a vending machine and I saw it for what it really was, namely a device aiming to subdue me. Sounds pretty crackpot, innit? But it is what it is. Anyways: why do these people implicitly [...] [...] to interact with a vending machine and I saw it for what it really was, namely a device aiming to subdue me. Sounds pretty crackpot, innit? But it is what it is. Anyways: why do these people implicitly [...]

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