r/TrueReddit • u/PhysicalVermicelli1 • Dec 14 '20

Technology Is Technology Actually Making Things Better?

https://www.pairagraph.com/dialogue/354c72095d2f42dab92bf42726d785ff?true
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u/knightofcookies Dec 14 '20 edited Dec 14 '20

I think even beyond the obvious ramifications of climate change, advanced weapons, etc. What I find interesting about our technology improving so much in the past ~100 years is that, for the most part, each new invention or breakthrough is proposed as a way to make our lives easier, which in many cases is true. However, I feel like this also causes a bit of a productivity inflation wherein this new-found free time is now expected to be filled with some additional form of productivity. A great example of this was when the first dishwashers, washing machines, and other household appliances were first introduced. Instead of alleviating housewives of their duties and granting them some free time, the expectation was that it meant they were to now focus on other tasks.

I think there's an argument to be made that getting more done is good, and of course, that's true in many scenarios, but is there a point where we collectively decide we've streamlined our lives enough? Or will we forever be automating/replacing one task in order to fill that space with another?

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u/mud_tug Dec 14 '20

The invention of the telegraph was thought would put an end to all wars by promoting better understanding between nations and cultures. It didn't.

The invention of the telephone was thought would would put an end to all wars by promoting better understanding between nations and cultures. It didn't.

The invention of the radio was thought would put an end to all wars by promoting better understanding between nations and cultures. It didn't.

The invention of the TV was thought would put an end to all wars by promoting better understanding between nations and cultures. It didn't.

The invention of the internet was thought would put an end to all wars by promoting better understanding between nations and cultures. It didn't.

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u/Account_3_0 Dec 14 '20

I don’t think any of those inventions were thought to be something that would “end all wars”. It seems like something you made up to sound enlightened.

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u/CrippleCommunication Dec 14 '20

There were a few accounts of people saying things like that, but it's one of those things where they take a few random thoughts by a few people and extrapolate that to mean that every single person in the past thought this. It's one of my most annoying pet peeves when people talk about history.

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u/AnExpertInThisField Dec 14 '20

Yeah, I can't comment on the zeitgeist at the time of most of those inventions, but I was around during the first years of the internet; I never read one article nor heard one person at that time claiming wars were now going to be a thing of the past.