@theluddite have you read https://www.publicbooks.org/the-folly-of-technological-solutionism-an-interview-with-evgeny-morozov/
There are no original thoughts :D.
I hadn’t heard of the book when I wrote this, but a reader brought it to my attention after I posted it. Seems like a delightful and closely related critique. I really look forward to reading it soon, especially after seeing this interview and his opinions on the Quantified Self movement; I’ve made a similar argument in a post about tech companies obsessing with engagement metrics being a science cargo cult.
It seems his focus is more on the internet, and how it was supposed to just solve our problems in some weird, politically neutral, neoliberal-brain-rot way. I tried to focus more on the (forgive me for using this word) Muskian, capitalist millenerianism of it all. In some ways, I think his critique is even more damning. What he describes as solutionism is such a flat and sad worldview. At least Musk and his fellow con artists talk a big game, as hollow as it might be.
This all is far more fundamental than your musings.
Growing populations, limited resources, human nature for consumption…
We don’t have the option of turning back the clock, we can not live like we did 20 years ago, or 50 years ago… even if we ditched everything we have today for what we had back then, what we had back then was just as destructive to the earth as our situation today and would have hit the same problems if we had stopped all advancement.
Until global start dropping, technology advancement is the only way to move the limits of consumption. We cannot simply ask people to consume less, they will refuse.
Once populations start dropping, then things can change.
Once populations start dropping, then things can change.
Ok, eco-fascist.
Lol, I love it when idiots with fewer children than I do call me an eco fascist for stating obvious realities.
The population is going to drop, we’re seeing the effects of overpopulation right now and people don’t want to have children in it.
This isn’t any sort of government plan or policy, it’s just people being realistic about the quality of life they and their children will have.
