Nice post. I particularly appreciate your reminding people of Turkle’s Alone Together, although I would say that the smart phone component – the second half of the book – is less interesting than the first half, which talks about computers as social actors, what we consider “alive,” and whether robotic social replacements are considered not so much good, but “good enough.” I keep returning to her insights and research and examples more than a decade later— and to the comment of the child considering whether there should be a robotic caregiver for the elderly, “don’t we have people for these jobs?”
As I've been reading the reviews of Apple Vision Pro I have been struck by how much the discourse about generative AI has been pulling us into the world of language and cultural artifacts. This new product, and the hype accompanying it, is a reminder of the physical and sensory impacts of the new machines on offer. Appreciate your framing here and in the Innovation Bargain essay. And always glad to see fellow Berry fan pointing readers his way.
Excellent perception here … it seems like a struggle to have a real face to face conversation anymore. And I’ve got my phone in my hand all the time. I’m with you.
I appreciate the reminder about Wendell Berry's writing on technology. I feel similarly about Apple Vision Pro, so it's an easy "no thanks" for me. I think this applies to tech like ChatGPT as well, where there's a lot of energy around the idea that you have to integrate this tech into your daily work or you're "falling behind." I don't think we have any real evidence that this tech is progress of any kind, so how can we be so sure we're falling behind?
Nice post. I particularly appreciate your reminding people of Turkle’s Alone Together, although I would say that the smart phone component – the second half of the book – is less interesting than the first half, which talks about computers as social actors, what we consider “alive,” and whether robotic social replacements are considered not so much good, but “good enough.” I keep returning to her insights and research and examples more than a decade later— and to the comment of the child considering whether there should be a robotic caregiver for the elderly, “don’t we have people for these jobs?”
Quite relevant to the current moment.
Thank you bringing Wendell Berry to my attention! I’d like to think my newly launched substack explores themes similar to yours.
As I've been reading the reviews of Apple Vision Pro I have been struck by how much the discourse about generative AI has been pulling us into the world of language and cultural artifacts. This new product, and the hype accompanying it, is a reminder of the physical and sensory impacts of the new machines on offer. Appreciate your framing here and in the Innovation Bargain essay. And always glad to see fellow Berry fan pointing readers his way.
Excellent perception here … it seems like a struggle to have a real face to face conversation anymore. And I’ve got my phone in my hand all the time. I’m with you.
I appreciate the reminder about Wendell Berry's writing on technology. I feel similarly about Apple Vision Pro, so it's an easy "no thanks" for me. I think this applies to tech like ChatGPT as well, where there's a lot of energy around the idea that you have to integrate this tech into your daily work or you're "falling behind." I don't think we have any real evidence that this tech is progress of any kind, so how can we be so sure we're falling behind?