Apr 5 2012: I've always believed that to achieve balance requires taking/using all things in moderation. Just like people develop a psychological addiction to certain drugs, the wonders of new technologies can also cause some individuals to develop a similar psychological addiction to their use.
As an historian I also have to take a issue with the concept that the 'threats' posed by new technologies are some revolutionary concept unique to our society. It doesn't take much work to see that every new technology, from movable type thru to radio, television and the internet has had detractors who thought that it would lead to the disintegration of society. From a certain perspective they were correct, but only because a developing society continually evolves and changes through time. For human cultures, to stagnate is to perish.
Personally I have no doubt that technology will continue to integrate into our lives and even our bodies over the next century. Technology can easily create the opportunity for isolation by providing distractions from the 'real' world whilst at the same time allowing far greater opportunities for communication than have ever been available in the past. To my mind the two positions are not binary opposites, more two 'sides' whose existence is facilitated by the invention of the coin.
Mar 30 2012: As a general rule, what society needs is for the best tools to be used for the job at hand. Often, development of ideas and theoretical concepts is best handled by teams of specialists, each trained in a slightly different area of one field working as a team. Implementation of ideas, conversely, is often best handled by one or more people with interdisciplinary skill sets, more aware of issues not directly concerned with only one field.
Sufficient work by specialists can develop theory to a point that saves a vast amount of trial and error in implementation, applying known issues to theory to test its validity. Likewise, theory can be put into practice by those with interdisciplinary skills in ways that specialists may never have thought of, being unaware of areas outside their specialty. The issue they face is perhaps best summed up by one of my favourite quotes: "In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is."
The old-fashioned concept of the 'renaissance man', who could know all there was to know in every field, is now an impossibility and many fields can easily absorb a life-times work. Perhaps what society needs is a better understanding of how specialisation and interdisciplinary approaches are both critical in their own way.
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A comment on Conversation: Technology doesn't create loneliness, it reveals it. Once revealed, technology can help alleviate isolation and spur connection.
As an historian I also have to take a issue with the concept that the 'threats' posed by new technologies are some revolutionary concept unique to our society. It doesn't take much work to see that every new technology, from movable type thru to radio, television and the internet has had detractors who thought that it would lead to the disintegration of society. From a certain perspective they were correct, but only because a developing society continually evolves and changes through time. For human cultures, to stagnate is to perish.
Personally I have no doubt that technology will continue to integrate into our lives and even our bodies over the next century. Technology can easily create the opportunity for isolation by providing distractions from the 'real' world whilst at the same time allowing far greater opportunities for communication than have ever been available in the past. To my mind the two positions are not binary opposites, more two 'sides' whose existence is facilitated by the invention of the coin.
A comment on Conversation: Does society need more interdisciplinary work? Or more well-rounded individuals working together?
Sufficient work by specialists can develop theory to a point that saves a vast amount of trial and error in implementation, applying known issues to theory to test its validity. Likewise, theory can be put into practice by those with interdisciplinary skills in ways that specialists may never have thought of, being unaware of areas outside their specialty. The issue they face is perhaps best summed up by one of my favourite quotes: "In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is."
The old-fashioned concept of the 'renaissance man', who could know all there was to know in every field, is now an impossibility and many fields can easily absorb a life-times work. Perhaps what society needs is a better understanding of how specialisation and interdisciplinary approaches are both critical in their own way.