Technology breeds complacency. That’s right. I said it. Thinking about stuff, in the absence of social media is a dying activity. Having been deep within the industry that spawned the worlds tech growth for the last 35 years, I take no pleasure in that fact. However, in defense of my previous chosen career, all the good that has come of tech far outweighs the negative. Still, looking at the negative and saying its name, this is the first step toward neutralizing the negative. In so doing, I often enjoy shutting off my phone, reading, and just thinking.
Thinking about stuff leads to considerations that make one curious about ones philosophical leanings. Our western society has conflicted with competing philosophies since it’s founding. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (June 1712 - July 1778) and Edmund Burke (January 1729 - July 1797) are two of philosophers whom the founders of the United States considered as they debated the formation of a new country. Rousseau believed that humankind could achieve perfection through the iterative adjustment of society since society was the source of citizens imperfections. Burke, contrary to this position, posited that we are flawed from birth, that utopia is for the afterlife, and that we find fulfillment in personal growth and development promulgated through liberty. In the formation of the US constitution, the “Burkean” philosophy won out. In the cauldron of liberty grew the country we know today; no utopia, for sure, but an experiment that continues to unfold before us — an experiment where the good far outweighs the bad.
In Part Two, I will review the applied philosophy of a controversial modern, psychologist and author.
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
