Sunday, January 12, 2020

Hypocritical Suspicion Of Technology

Hypocrisy among anti-technology claimants is always irrational, but it is not always equally obvious to the average observer.  Some of it stands out to the point of being impossible to truly conceal.  There are those who literally use electronic technology to disparage electronic technology (a prime example being someone who writes against social media using social media), but there are also those whose hypocrisy might come across as more subtle or socially accepted.

How many people who express concern about the growing presence of technology turn around and enjoy the (potential) simplicity of using a GPS to navigate unfamiliar roads, using a microwave to heat food, or sending an email from a smartphone?  Technology is the ultimate example of the convenience afforded by science.  Electronics in particular offer drastic benefits to human civilization, yet technology is repeatedly the target of slander, dismissal, and mockery.

It is not rare for the same people who view technology with suspicion to appreciate cars, electric heating, and phone calls to loved ones--and for them to do what they can to actively remove obstacles to enjoying these things.  In fact, many people do this rather openly and on a regular basis!  The cognitive dissonance of criticizing technology for how some people use it while simultaneously relying on and selectively approving of technology is stark.

Whoever claims to have a high regard for science while decrying amoral uses of modern technology is comparable to a person who claims to be rational while rejecting rationalism or a person who says they admire Christianity while condemning Mosaic Law.  In each of these cases, thorough hypocrisy is on display.  It will always be the case that criticisms of technology itself are asinine, but to demonize technology while welcoming its benefits betrays a fundamental insincerity or blindness.

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