Tom Abeles points out, helpfully I think, that there are technoevangelists and technoromantics and technoutopians and, perhaps most dangerous of all, the technomarketers who use the language of technosalvation to sell goods and services.
The zeal to protect us from these false prophets can be carried too far, perhaps. There are, after all, genuine prophets as well as false, and bicycles and computers and other technologies can indeed enhance life. Any tool, the hammer or the computer, any ideology, democracy or socialism, any faith, Christianity or atheism, can become a false god and worshipped. Computers and antiretrovirals and telecenters can indeed do much good, and need not be glorified or venerated to make a difference in the lives of those who are without them. Steve Eskow [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Tom Abeles Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 8:03 AM To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group; John Hibbs Subject: Re: [DDN] Update on the Simputer There is an essay with a title, something to the effect, "The Fear of God and the Need to Acquire" where there is a line, paraphrased, which says that there is a problem when the only way a person can show love for his/her spouse is to go to bed with them or BUY them something. One must realize that secular humanism is just as much a religion as Christianity or other professed "religions" and the sacramental technology produced by science is the equivalent of a communion "wafer". The electronic "tent" proposed by John is the equivalent of an old fashioned "Revival" meeting which one finds in the United States in some fundamentalist ministries- a calling for all techno-development acolytes and disciples. Now, I do believe in such "get-togethers". The "teach-ins" and "be-ins" and the plethora of "fests" for farmers, tsunamis, aids... are all examples and all moved the world to a little better place. But to enshrine a piece of technology on some sacred platform comes straight out of some science fiction novel or TV commercial for any of the products which will make us younger, sexier, more desirable and successful. Buy a Simputer and you, too, will realize the consumptive success of the characters on the old program Dallas. I have said on this list that once the apostles of ICT gain sufficient followers then every micro-technology company from IBM, Dell, Microsoft, Motorola, etc will be on the evangelical trail seeking converts to their products and services. The Simputer is a false God and the ICT disciples are members of an aberrant branch of the faith based secular humanism. thoughts? tom abeles John Hibbs wrote: > At 10:02 AM -0700 5/29/05, Dr. Steve Eskow wrote: > >> If the Simputer is a superior product, and mass producing it will >> dramatically lower its price, the Simputer firm might emulate >> Negroponte and >> insist on mass orders. > > > "Insist"? How? > > How much good would it do to set a date ceartain - as Earth Day has - > and make a 24 hour, round the clock, round the world - effort to focus > on this call? An event designed to engage grant writers, pundits, > distance educators, distance trainers, radio stations, humanitarian > relief agencies, the UN, appropriate government officials at high levels. > > Is there a better way that picking a date certain - say six months > from now? - and then putting our collective shoulders together to make > sure that a zillion people hear of the Simputer - and cause the > ordering in the millions? > > John Hibbs > http://www.bfranklin.edu/johnhibbs > > > P.S. Sam Johnson says that nothing concentrates the mind like a > hanging. I say that nothing concentrates the mind like an Big Event > with a date certain. What else will turn "insist" into a collective > action? > > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > [email protected] > http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the > body of the message. > _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
