It is today not considered possible by our culture for a sane and serious person to be entirely opposed to the modern world, to its infrastructure and to its thinking.
"It is today not considered possible by our culture for a sane and serious person to be entirely opposed to the modern world, to its infrastructure and to its thinking.” — Interesting how close that is to a practical definition of the Overton window.
Merlio: “a tragedy of uprooting,” — Keystone phrase!
“Without doubt, we are in the era of the decline of the soul” — One can scarcely imagine what Klages would think/say about our current era.
“And at its service is the whole of Technik and the far vaster sphere of science” — Could very well be describing the here and now, and written today … never mind over a 100 years ago.
"Klages says it is obvious that modern advances in physics and chemistry “serve only Capital” [24] and that the same seems to be true in other fields of learning.” — Yet another time-machined verbal snapshot of our current scientific corruption/co-optation.
I abhor the cruelty of the 5G towers, the cameras on every roundabout and traffic lights, the look of it alone- not even needing to get in to the intention of this new round of technology. The stark ugliness speaks volumes.
I happen to be rereading Tolkien’s LOTR and it strikes me how he expresses very similar ideas. The great struggle is between the evil wizards and their Orcs against nature and the species which live according to it, with humans wavering between the approaches.
Tragically, there's a whole generation now of people who have never experienced life without invasive technology, free to roam without being constantly tracked, to think without being herded to binary traps, to eat real, organic food. Experience cannot be transmitted, it has to be lived, so when the generations who still remember that life fade out, how will these people claim what they've never experienced? Can one yearn for something that one does not even know it exists? Surely they will experience a feeling of existential void, they already are, but what will they choose to fill it with? More technology? I've nerve thought I'd be happy to be older and pity the young, but here I am. Coming from rural Greece, I've gone from a life without electricity, running water, genetically modified food, and telephones, to 5G, industrial agriculture, and biometric surveillance. I know which life was better. And yes, every older generation in the history of mankind has felt similarly about the youth, but this time the threat against humanity is truly existential.
Hi Paul, I support your theme of rediscovering our connection with nature in this extremely urbanised world.
I'd argue that technological progress has overall positive effects, but our contemporary problem is progressivism, where progress is not meant to serve the society but as a tool in the hands of very few oligarchs to exert and grow their power under a neo-liberal economic system.
I consider the historical industrial development as a good thing, but unfortunately in the West we have been witnessing a long phase of de-industrialisation, because manufacturing companies moved to cheaper countries.
A risk of attacking industrialisation as a whole, is that it appears somehow similar to the Marxist nihilist attack on entrepreneurship.
Another fine, timely piece!
"It is today not considered possible by our culture for a sane and serious person to be entirely opposed to the modern world, to its infrastructure and to its thinking.” — Interesting how close that is to a practical definition of the Overton window.
Merlio: “a tragedy of uprooting,” — Keystone phrase!
“Without doubt, we are in the era of the decline of the soul” — One can scarcely imagine what Klages would think/say about our current era.
“And at its service is the whole of Technik and the far vaster sphere of science” — Could very well be describing the here and now, and written today … never mind over a 100 years ago.
"Klages says it is obvious that modern advances in physics and chemistry “serve only Capital” [24] and that the same seems to be true in other fields of learning.” — Yet another time-machined verbal snapshot of our current scientific corruption/co-optation.
Kudos for Paul Cudenec for yet another brilliant essay!
It gives me hope to read and listen to these wise words at a time when the world is run by muppets who quite simply never made sense to begin with.
Thanks
I abhor the cruelty of the 5G towers, the cameras on every roundabout and traffic lights, the look of it alone- not even needing to get in to the intention of this new round of technology. The stark ugliness speaks volumes.
I happen to be rereading Tolkien’s LOTR and it strikes me how he expresses very similar ideas. The great struggle is between the evil wizards and their Orcs against nature and the species which live according to it, with humans wavering between the approaches.
Tragically, there's a whole generation now of people who have never experienced life without invasive technology, free to roam without being constantly tracked, to think without being herded to binary traps, to eat real, organic food. Experience cannot be transmitted, it has to be lived, so when the generations who still remember that life fade out, how will these people claim what they've never experienced? Can one yearn for something that one does not even know it exists? Surely they will experience a feeling of existential void, they already are, but what will they choose to fill it with? More technology? I've nerve thought I'd be happy to be older and pity the young, but here I am. Coming from rural Greece, I've gone from a life without electricity, running water, genetically modified food, and telephones, to 5G, industrial agriculture, and biometric surveillance. I know which life was better. And yes, every older generation in the history of mankind has felt similarly about the youth, but this time the threat against humanity is truly existential.
Agree with Red Pill Poet…very timely…as is inclined to happen with all things organic 😉👍
“like an insatiable moloch, swallowing humankind’s images of itself,”
Sounds a lot like phone culture!
I live in the bush. Every day it’s telling me something good.
All technology needs serious limits put on it or it devours.
Hi Paul, I support your theme of rediscovering our connection with nature in this extremely urbanised world.
I'd argue that technological progress has overall positive effects, but our contemporary problem is progressivism, where progress is not meant to serve the society but as a tool in the hands of very few oligarchs to exert and grow their power under a neo-liberal economic system.
I consider the historical industrial development as a good thing, but unfortunately in the West we have been witnessing a long phase of de-industrialisation, because manufacturing companies moved to cheaper countries.
A risk of attacking industrialisation as a whole, is that it appears somehow similar to the Marxist nihilist attack on entrepreneurship.