7 aspects of technology’s current development that affect human freedom and diversity.
3 key changes in order to protect freedom and diversity for us and future generations.
7 aspects of technology’s current development
The unrestricted manner in which we currently advance technology continually introduces more as well as more complex technologies into our human circumstances.
Unintended negative effects are inherent to technology use. As amount and complexity of our technologies increase, negative effects become more numerous and momentous.
Out of above two points follows, that more and more of our time, energy, attention and other resources go a) into technology invention, use, and upkeep and b) into dealing with negative effects.
The more our limited resources (e.g. our time) go into all things technology, the less of them are available for all things not technology, displacing the diversity of cultural aspects from human life, thus standardizing human existence.
Technology's evolution has an inner logic. The more systematically and scientifically we advance technology's development, the more that inner logic shows itself.
We are basing our decisions regarding amount and type of technologies introduced into human circumstances less and less on our respective cultural values and ethics.
From above two points follows that the inner logic of technology's evolution increasingly leads the way. The less our decisions are based on subjective, i.e. cultural criteria and rather on the objective, scientific criteria of technical functionality and efficiency, the more our life is determined by technology's evolution, reducing our degree of freedom.
3 key changes
Detach technical innovation and use from economic, scientific, political, and consumer interests. This will slow technological development down to more manageable speeds.
The slower speed of technological development is essential for thoroughly assessing technologies and consciously choosing those that are beneficial in the long run (for us humans, other life forms and the natural environments we share with them).
The decisions, which technologies to use, must lastly root in cultural, i.e. non-scientific criteria. This assures that technology use and development are embedded in human ways and do not develop dynamics of their own, devoid of cultural meaning and purpose.