I thought most of this article was stupid, but here’s a statement that hit me:

[A] human being without any technological prostheses is nothing, an unsteady sac of flesh defined only by what it doesn’t have: no shelter, no protection, no society.

Without our material inventions, we are doomed. Without our cultural inventions, we are endangered. At least! Society depends on cohesion. We must cluster and justify our clustering.

The real reason why this doesn’t matter, beyond our hearts: only acceptable justifications matter. “Acceptable” is a malleable thing.

“Technology” is a very broad term that we’ve narrowed down to “computers and software” for no reason except the zeitgeist; no reason except length of existence. So many tools; so much material. We’ve narrowed what counts as “technology” for no proper reason — none that I’m aware of, anyway.

Unless the reason is “ease of classification and control” — but perhaps that is always the reason.

Maybe it’s just because we become accustomed to the tech that already exists. Technically speaking, pun intended, anything manmade counts as technology. It’s very mundane.

Header photo by Nadya Peek.