Science Fiction Theatre

[abacch02]

- Why do we have these computer dystopias?

- Why are people scared of a computerized future?

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The biggest reasons I believe that people's fear of a computerized future is centered on the concept of computers removing thinking from the individual.

That loss of control, and in some ways consciousness, is a scary

Comments

[kstanley]

If people are willing to give up the vast majority of their liberties in the quest to simplify their own lives, then we rely on the machines unlike HAL. We are also not making the most of our physical and mental capacities. In that way we are as dynamic and useful as a moon rock.

But the idea behind machines, computers is that they will taken over the mundane tasks and free us up to work on more important things. That has occurred to a certain extent: it doesn't take us as long to do chores or to calculate complex figures or to find information. But what are we doing with that extra time? Very few people are using it to enrich humanity--even in a small way.

A lot of people fill this extra time with mindless entertainments that add nothing to themselves or anyone else. Others use the time technology has saved to do even more work--piling on more and more responsiblities until they don't have a spare moment to think about their lives and where they are going or what they doing or what any of it means.

But taking away machines won't change any of this. People will just go back to filling their time with endless tasks and entertainments. It seems to be our nature.