ANARCHISM AND TECHNOLOGY

technology just a tool, it's not good or evil, people that use it are.

 

you can never reverse technology, once something is invented or created you are fucked.

 

First of all, it depends on how you define "technology." To my way of thinking a sharpened stick is just extremely primitive technology. This is one of the major flaws in self-described "primativists' " beliefs. To say technology is mostly a tool of oppression is completely wrong. Most oppressive institutions today use technology, but I find for some reason many in the 'radical' scene make the fundamental error of confusing the cause and the means.

That shouldn't be called Anarchism, in fact, it's at odds with most of the Anarchist tradition. Bakunin, Kropotkin, etc., and their intellectual antecedents,; Chomsky, etc. I think this needs to be addressed. You can't compromise with someone who's opposed to civilization, that's not a bridgeable gap. If Anarchists want to spread their ideas and to introduce people to thse ideas, this needs to be reputiated. I think most of these people are pretty harmless for the most part, just extremely naive and misled, but there really isn't any room for compromise on this issue.

Obviously, I stand with the prevailing trend in Anarchism that seeks a modern, sophisticated society based on mutual aid, and free association. I also tried to initiate conversation on the ethical and philosophical dimensions of emerging technologies; "Anarchism, Trabshumanism, and the Singularity."
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1756
There's quite a few links and so forth if anybody's really interested in the subject.

 

hmm... I'm rather on the primitivist side myself (and I say that as a programmer), though I'm not one and criticize some of the primitivist thinking. I don't want to go back to stone age... I want to see spreading communes of anarcho-punks working together..
In this way I see Anarchism opposed to civilization, at least in the conservative usage of this word

I'm really against transhumanism... but I think it would be rather interesting to discuss it with you in real life NGNM85
but actually I think it will be more Posthumanism that tranhumanism, if technology goes on like that...

 

I would actually think that there would be a surge of better technology made available in an anarchist society, as money will not be an issue in creating new technologies. Things that are as of yet only dreamed of can be taken to a developmental stage sooner and more readily, quite simply because there is no need to pump large amounts of funds into it.
I would like to point out the Venus Project in this case... Just google it, if interested

 

There's no need to meet in person to discuss it. The thread may be presently dormant but I'd love to participate in a discussion of these topics, please, feel free to peruse the posted materials and add any ideas or observations.

 

technology can be 'evil' if its basis is to destroy, nuclear, guns, u can't go back necessarily but we can go forward, anarchism is rather humanist as it were to, it relies on the effect it will have on other things and people good or bad, and is it necessary in balance with the resources you have, you may not stop individuals creating but you may stop them using tech beyond reproach just as we do now, many good basic laws were created by us not them as we've been here before.

 

Is it still 'evil' if used to destroy 'evil', but ok, nuclear bombs is pushing it a bit.

 

To me, it is if it uses the seem premises as 'evil' to destroy what it considers evil.

 

Nuclear bombs can have a peaceful use, though only in a couple of VERY specific cases. These being planetary defence, asteroid deflection and the like, and terraforming, something to do with distributing materials widely - the science was beyond me.
Technology is neutral, it can be used productively or unproductively is all.

 

I think a major driving force behind the development of science during the 17/18/19th centuries was the emergence of a class of people who got extremely wealthy from the nascent capitalism and had a vast amount of leisure time to pursue their interests. This should be of note to anarchists as we advocate sharing the work of society as a means of reducing individual labour. This would allow everyone on the planet to have the amount of time these wealthy men did. So we could have 6/7/8/9 billion people being able to pursue interests that further our understanding of the universe and better our collective lives.
The biologist SJ Gould when asked about studies of Einstein's brain said "I am less interested in the measurements of Einstein's brain than I am in how many Einsteins we have lost to working in rice paddies and corn fields" (paraphrase)

 

This is but one of the promises of technology, to replace or augment human labor, allowing us to accomplish more, and, ideally, spend more time on pursuing happiness and bettering ourselves as human beings.

 

that was wicked miserable, yes but its not the be end and end all is what i'm sayin too, cheers, i like simple things and get excited by others excitement but power corrupts absolutely and if somebody designs something that can destory all, then um yea, the power struggle gets kinda lopsided slightly.

if ya wana fly ta mars, good o, send me a postcard woteva

 

don t be afraid of gun,you should be afraid of man that s using it!!!

 

Yaaa! Nuke Godd and the terrorist asteroids.
-Jesus Lord of asteroids

 

peace through power isn't peace by my definition.

 

I prefer the phrase "appropriate technology". I lived out in the sticks for years without mains electricity using a simple wind generator and shunt regulator to charge stationary batteries (12 volt) and it was enough to give lighting and power my stereo. The technology was appropriate.

The constant drive to invent technology for consumption however is often inapproriate. I call this demanding supply. It's not only that we don't need most of these gadgets but the methodolgy used in their manufacture is often dubious as well, with cheap plastic parts specially designed to give (usually a few days after your guarantee runs out) in order to keep you coming back to buy more.

We CAN create stuff that will last indefinitely provided the resources are sustainable and we CAN create stuff that is highly beneficial to our society. That is appropriate technology and I'd imagine anarchists would be for it.

It always amuses me when these primitivists argue against all technology while using a PC and the interweb to get their message across.

 

Tehnology is gonna cost us all one day.Fuck AKalasnikhov 47