I think that Heidegger would really promote an Amish type lifestyle. After learning a little about how their society works, it seems like the very issue that Heidegger was talking about in “The Question Concerning Technology”. Heidegger is concerned with our way of being in the world. Dryfus too thinks that technology conceals humanity. The Amish do use technology, of course, in ways like using language and in ways like driving cars. The way their society works is based on what certain elders and the community agree would be beneficial to all of the people. For example, phones were viewed as important and necessary for such things as business calls, but to keep the telephone from being used too often and unnecessarily, the phone was put outside away from the house. The Amish agree that the phone would lead to less face-to-face conversations. Because of this concern also, the phone was put in a place to be shared with other families, making it more of a responsibilitiy and social interaction will still have to occur. The Amish of course have their relgious reasons for not wanting to mix with people that are not Amish, but they also feel that they need to strive to live that simple life without letting technology “introduce individualist competition for worldly goods that would be destructive of community”(wikipedia: Amish). I really do believe that the concern Hediegger had with the way humans will lose control of technology the more advanced it gets is a concern that the Amish have taken notice to a long time ago. They assess every new technology they want to introduce into their lives, and in doing so understands that piece of technology far better than most humans, which most people only strive for that transparency in technology like Gehlen points out. After discussing how that piece of technology would benefit or disrupt their lives, the Amish then decide how they want to take advantange or not take advantage of it. I just think that if the world were to adopt Heidegger’s ideas, our lives could be more like the Amish. I personally think that if the world was like that, it would slow down the development of technology tremendously.
11.30.06
Adam Warren | 04-Dec-06 at 6:31 pm | Permalink
So, my question to you is whether or not you believe that slowing the progression of technology of the world would be a good thing. I completely agree with your sentiment that if everyone in the world was so selective about use of technology, things would progress more slowly, but at what cost? Do the pro’s outweigh the con’s. Personally, I think that would be extremely detrimental to the progress of humanity, but I have been a proponent of technology all along. We as humans have great potential to create these technological things, and along with the things we create, we have even greater potential, why not achieve this potential?
Christopher Lauschke | 05-Dec-06 at 6:27 pm | Permalink
I agree with adam. The amish analogy is a sound one. I understand the amish and their ways, but i would never choose for myself or the society i live in to convert to a similiar way of life. We have the ability to expand our abilities, and i think we should take advantage of this opportunity. I am obviously a clark believer. I think i was sure when we talked about animals being perfectly adapted to their environment. ALl animals except humans. Our “adaptation” is that we use technology to adapt to any environment. Seems counterintuitive to stop using technology.
Victoria Trieu | 05-Dec-06 at 11:11 pm | Permalink
I am not sure how good or how bad a fast paced technological world would be. I would say that it would be more beneficial to everyone that technology keep on growing as quickly as it has because of certain issues such as global warming. I mean this is a time sensitive problem which could lead to very very serious problems for the world. On the other hand, we could look at what Heidegger and Dryfus are saying. Technology is just improving so quickly, and humans are just jumping on top of all these new things that we lose sight of humanity. So, it could be a possible end of the world, or end of humanity.
Danielle Bracken | 05-Dec-06 at 11:54 pm | Permalink
I agree that Heidegger might agree with an Amish lifestyle. He would approve of the way they appreciate everything and take the time to look around and absorb nature. I agree with the other comments that this slow-paced environment might have many costs, however I believe the fast-paced world we live in has many costs as well. A middle ground would be perfect but whenever we’d reach that we’d strive for just a bit more and it would never last, so I think it just depends on the person whether you want the pros and cons of the slow-paced enviroment or the pros and cons of the fast-paced one.
Daniel Worst | 07-Dec-06 at 1:50 pm | Permalink
I agree with what has been said about how the development of technology will slow down if everyone had a Amish lifestyle. I am not sure, though, if that is a good thing. Some technologies that we have today are very beneficial to society. Everything technology that has to do with medicine is a good thing and I don’t think it would be good to slow down that technology. We as a people have to take the good with the bad when it comes to the develpoment of technology because the good helps us sustain life.
Erin Hogan | 07-Dec-06 at 2:52 pm | Permalink
There is a difference between slowing down the progression of technology and not wanting it to be a central part of your life. In the post, Victoria mentioned that the Amish still use phones…they just keep them away from their houses. I don’t think that this is a bad thing. Technology can still be a wonderful thing, but does it have to be the main focus of everyone’s lives?
Also, Daniel – I think it’s a little bit of an overstatement to say that all advances in medicine are good. While they may be good, you also have to consider how it affects other aspects of society. Yes, medicine allows people to live longer and healthier lives. I agree that this is a good thing. At the same time however, it has changed our society. People are living longer. As a result, more money needs to go into health care. People grumble about things such as taxes…but a lot of that is paying for people who are living longer. This trend is going to continue to grow. And I am in no way saying that it’s a bad thing that people are living longer, I’m just saying that medicine has both directly and indirectly changed society. So when you say that you shouldn’t slow down technology because it could help people, like the way that medicine does, you also have to be aware of how much society can change because of it. And maybe in the future it won’t be as easy as paying more taxes for more healthcare. You never know. I think that technology should always be questioned.