![]() Taking a skeptical stance toward the new is not going to the ‘opposite extreme.’ Rather, it is an exercise of a great Aristotelian principle: if circumstances push us toward one extreme, then we prudently lean the other direction, precisely to achieve the golden middle. In our rush forward we have lost basic forms of rich human life (think, among many examples, of shared work of the home, and porch time with family, friends and neighbors). Our current practice has swung to an extreme of unthinking acceptance and indeed prejudice toward the new and ‘efficient’-an approach that often undermines quality of life. It will empower us to discern the good from the bad, to distinguish real improvement from its counterfeit. This stance is not against appropriate ‘innovation’ and ‘improvement.’ On the contrary. It means taking a hard look and really considering the pros and cons, bearing in mind the bigger life picture. This skeptical stance is not a rejection of the new but rather an application of a higher level of scrutiny. Step One: Start by taking a skeptical stance toward anything that in the name of efficiency, ease, or comfort would replace the older way of doing something. This requires a shift in our thoughts and practices. We could call it a preferential option for the real and natural. It will also have to be realistic and flexible. This choice needs to be informed, savvy, and strong-willed. So when it runs amok and in fact undermines the real and natural rather than serving it, it has become a problem perhaps a very serious one. ![]() But technology should serve true human life. ![]() And this truth has concrete implications.ĭoes this mean technology is bad? Technology in itself, of course not. Human life is better in person, in the context of the real and the natural. We have missed a key truth about ourselves. One might ask: but what is really wrong here? And why do you call this ‘serious?’ In short, I’d put it this way. ![]() The real is replaced by the virtual, and the natural by the artificial. ![]()
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