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+ FREUD
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Technobabble +and Civilization
+Postman +and Freud
+Joseph +J. Green
+Northern +Arizona University
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+ Sigmund Freud and Neil Postman +have many theories relating to civilization and technology. In Neil +Postman’s “The Judgement of Thamus in his book Technopoly: The +Surrender of Culture to Technology has quite a bit to say on the +relationship between civilization and technology. Sigmund Freud in +his book Civilization and Its Discontents, discusses much about the +growth of civilization and also touches on how technology has an +effect on civilization.
+In +“The Judgement of Thamus,” Postman touches on the idea that +technology is neither good nor bad for society, but that it is both +good and bad. It adds as well as detracts from culture. This chapter +opens with him discussing the story of the king Thamus talking to the +god Theuth, an inventor. Theuth had creating writing and he was happy +to expose how amazing the technology is and how much it will benefit +man kind. Theuth spoke of the wonders of storing and sharing wisdom +and memory through this invention. Thamus countered him by stating +that an inventor doesn’t know that his technology is good or bad, +that an inventor is inherently biased towards his invention. Thamus +specifically discredited the idea of writing by stating that he +believed that this invention of writing will encourage people to stop +practicing memory and become more forgetful, and that it will cause +people to depend on external things as a device to aid in +recollection. He further complains that writing will help wisdom and +memory spread, which isn’t inherently bad, but by doing so, people +who do not fully understand the wisdom of the words without proper +instruction, they will be “filled with the conceit of wisdom +instead of real wisdom” (Postman, 1993). As we know, writing has +opened up an incredible amount of opportunity for humanity, but it is +also clear that we have lost some things, such as memory, but the +gains have been immense. Postman also claims that technology really +needs to be looked at from both sides. He even admits that he often +looks for the dissenting opinion when looking at new technologies, +but feels that it is important to show reasonable counter to +optimism. Furthermore, he finds that technologies are often adopted +without much realization and results in new technologies, the +winners, beckoning people of old technology, the losers, to join in +with them. Espousing all the benefits of the new versus the old.
+In +Civilization and its Discontents Freud tries to explain some of the +actions of why people do what they do, how people have come to how +they are, and, especially, how to obtain the happiness that people +seek. Throughout this work Freud makes many claims. He finds that +people evolve much like cities. Over the course of time, cities are +demolished, burned down, or simply destroyed and rebuilt slowly over +time during peace. He specifically mentions how ancient cities that +still exist are largely built upon ruins of itself. Some of these +things go away completely, but most stay either hidden or adapted +into the works and buildings that go on in the city. These things +become something new, yet maintain something old. He says this in +human memories and physiology. He explains how puberty results in the +loss of the thymus gland and that it is replaced by connective +tissue, and how an adults completed bone contains the child hood bone +that had been there before it, and how new experiences and, +specifically, memories of experiences merge and form new thoughts +that bring people to who they are at the present. Much like cities. +Freud also found that, however civilization is defined, protections +are sought from dangers that come from the suffering that comes from +its own civilization. This seems particularly interesting given the +fact that we know it is true, at least at a basic level. For example, +civilization started herding animals that lead to the creation of, +and increased spread of, new diseases which we then needed to protect +ourselves against ("Humans Change the World", 2016). Freud +also, like Postman, found that technology doesn’t so much bring +happiness as it brings change to humanity where good and bad both +take place, not simply one or the other. Specifically, Freud mentions +how if certain technology didn’t get created, other technology +wouldn’t be needed to maintain happiness. If the locomotive never +carried people across continents, people would likely have stayed +closer to home more often which would remove the need for long +distance communication in order to solve the anxiety about distant +friends and family. One thing Freud seemed especially insistent about +is that technology brings people closer to godlihood. To make a +primal example, the discovery and control of fire brought the +human race from being weak creatures struggling to survive, to a +species with the ability to see the world burn. Freud +also found beauty to be fascinating because of how utterly useless it +is. It does not assist in survival in any obvious way, so our desire +for beauty is a bit of a mystery. He also claims that cleanliness is +also not found in nature, yet humans seem to have a passion for that, +but he did find that order is certainly a part of nature. He finds +order to be incredibly useful for everything that humans do, yet +paradoxically, it’s one of the hardest things to teach people to +pay attention to due to their natural carelessness.
+These +two writers are certainly very opinionated and clearly have thought +about the issues at hand that they discuss. Both Freud and Postman +seem to agree that technology isn’t a “good or bad” issue, but +a “good and bad” issue. This, to me, is clearly obvious. We see +it today with the introduction of the Internet. I’m one of those +strange kids who was born in the mid 80’s. Born just early enough +to grow up during the transition of the world to the Internet and for +computers to go from things only hobbyists and businessmen used, to +every family having a computer, and finally to every person having an +overpriced super restricted computer they carelessly put in their +pockets. I was particularly interested in computers from a young age, +so I was able to see the transition of society from the eyes of a +person who understood what was actually going on. This alone could be +a paper of its own, but to keep my example brief I will restrict it +to one thing that the Internet has done. It has given us access to a +huge database of jobs where we can find anything we want, anywhere in +the world, and, if we desire and have the ability, take that job and +move to wherever it is. Wonderful, but a huge drawback is the +increased competition. A company may have settled for a local worker +looking to get his start back in the early 90’s, but now many +companies are hoping for talent from anywhere in the country can come +serve them which makes it much harder for people without much +experience to gain it when competition is so steep. I’m also fully +in agreement with much of what Postman has said about technology +sneaking in, taking over, and changing who the winners and losers +are. I don’t believe anyone could have expected the computers or +the Internet to change the world in the profound ways that it has. +Heck, Marion Zimmer Bradley in his book, The Colors of Space, +predicted a futuristic world run by advanced civilizations who fly +around in spaceships, but still use books to navigate space along +side computer that take punchcards and spit out information on paper +(Bradley et al., 2007). At the time the novel was written, this was +the current state of computers, considering other technologies that +existed at the time, I’m surprised the author didn’t think of +something considering other technologies that existed at the time, +such as televisions, but it goes to show that it is incredibly hard +to foresee the future and the effects technology will have on it. +Now, I must disagree with Freud's insistence that beauty is useless. +If we think of its direct practical non-emotional value, it does seem +rather useless. However, when we consider that humans are creative +artful creatures, and that beauty inspires us, it seems to have a +very practical value. Humans see beauty which inspires them for +everything from creating great thing, to reproduction. Even some +animals flaunt pretty colors in an effort to attract mates.
+Freud +and Postman certainly have many great, well thought out, theories. +Postman fantastically lays out some of the effects of technology and +civilization and poses the warning that we must look at things from +more than one side. Freud seems to share some thoughts with Postman, +but also finds a lot more specific to humans and civilization than +such focus on technology. Both of these men have many theories that +are both agreeable and disagreeable to myself, but to go through +every theory we could write a book. In any case, many great ideas +emanate from great people and we should consider them all to the best +of our ability.
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RESOURCES
++Bradley, M., +Simão, A., Smallheer, J., Nelson, M., Savage, K., & Rose, L. +(2007). The Colors of Space [Audio Book]. Retrieved +from +https://librivox.org/the-colors-of-space-by-marion-zimmer-bradley/
++Freud, S. +(1930). Civilization and Its Discontents (pp. 1-99).
++Humans Change the +World. (2016). Retrieved from +http://humanorigins.si.edu/human-characteristics/humans-change-world
++Postman, N. +(1993). Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to +Technology (1st ed., pp. 1-17). New York: Knopf.
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TITLE
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Title +of Paper
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+Joseph +J. Green
+Northern +Arizona University
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What +is your personal response to the arguments made by Sigmund Freud in +Civilization and Its Discontents and Neil Postman in his chapter +entitled “The Judgment of Thamus?” Do you agree with the theories +about civilization and technology set forth by these two scholars? +
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Intro
+1 +Neil Postmand – civilization and technology
+Technologies +both harm and help
+Technologies +need to be seen from both of those sides
+Technologies +are adopted, often without much realization
+Winners +(new tech) fight losers (old tech) often unwittingly
+2 +Sigmund Freud – civilization and technology
+People +evolve much like cities
+However +we define civilization, it is a certain fact that all things we seek +to protect ourselves against the threats that emanate from the +sources of suffering are part of that very civilization.
+Technology +does not bring happiness, but we should not infer that it does not +contribute in some way.
+We +also should consider that, if we had less technology some of these +newer technolgies wouldn’t matter (example, contacting his son via +the tele, but without trains, he wouldn’t need to as his son would +never have left)
+Technology +brings people closer to godlihood
+beauty +is useless
+cleanlyness +is not nature
+order +is, also hard to obtain
+3 +My thoughts
+Both +freud and Postman seem to see technology as not a one sided help or +harm, but a combination. I fully agree with this. See the breakdown +of society
+Technologies +sneak in, agree. With postman.
+Beauty +is useless, disagree. It’s a motovater.
+outro
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RESOURCES
+Freud’s +Civilization and its discontents
+Neil +Postman’s thing
+ + \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/school_essays/essays/Technobabble_and_Civilization_Postman_and_Freud_notes.odt b/school_essays/essays/Technobabble_and_Civilization_Postman_and_Freud_notes.odt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..95a622c Binary files /dev/null and b/school_essays/essays/Technobabble_and_Civilization_Postman_and_Freud_notes.odt differ diff --git a/school_essays/essays/Technobabble_and_Civilization_Postman_and_Freud_outline.html b/school_essays/essays/Technobabble_and_Civilization_Postman_and_Freud_outline.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..dcbf297 --- /dev/null +++ b/school_essays/essays/Technobabble_and_Civilization_Postman_and_Freud_outline.html @@ -0,0 +1,124 @@ + + + + +TITLE
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Title +of Paper
+Sub +Title
+Joseph +J. Green
+Northern +Arizona University
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What +is your personal response to the arguments made by Sigmund Freud in +Civilization and Its Discontents and Neil Postman in his chapter +entitled “The Judgment of Thamus?” Do you agree with the theories +about civilization and technology set forth by these two scholars? +
+
+
+
Intro
+1 +Neil Postmand – civilization and technology
+Technologies +both harm and help
+Technologies +need to be seen from both of those sides
+Technologies +are adopted, often without much realization
+Winners +(new tech) fight losers (old tech) often unwittingly
+2 +Sigmund Freud – civilization and technology
+People +evolve much like cities
+However +we define civilization, it is a certain fact that all things we seek +to protect ourselves against the threats that emanate from the +sources of suffering are part of that very civilization.
+Technology +does not bring happiness, but we should not infer that it does not +contribute in some way.
+We +also should consider that, if we had less technology some of these +newer technolgies wouldn’t matter (example, contacting his son via +the tele, but without trains, he wouldn’t need to as his son would +never have left)
+Technology +brings people closer to godlihood
+beauty +is useless
+cleanlyness +is not nature
+order +is, also hard to obtain
+3 +My thoughts
+Both +freud and Postman seem to see technology as not a one sided help or +harm, but a combination. I fully agree with this. See the breakdown +of society
+Technologies +sneak in, agree. With postman.
+Beauty +is useless, disagree. It’s a motovater.
+outro
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RESOURCES
+Freud’s +Civilization and its discontents
+Neil +Postman’s thing
+ + \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/school_essays/essays/Technobabble_and_Civilization_Postman_and_Freud_outline.odt b/school_essays/essays/Technobabble_and_Civilization_Postman_and_Freud_outline.odt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..93d7f7a Binary files /dev/null and b/school_essays/essays/Technobabble_and_Civilization_Postman_and_Freud_outline.odt differ diff --git a/school_essays/index.html b/school_essays/index.html index 430ff23..c78479c 100644 --- a/school_essays/index.html +++ b/school_essays/index.html @@ -83,6 +83,20 @@ Saugatuck A Case Study Notes [HTML] [ODT] + +