Chapter 3: From Technocracy to Technoploy

In Chapter 3 Postman discusses the shift from technocracy to technopoly. He describes Adam Smith’s aggressive transformation, “money, not land, was the key to wealth. . .” (40-41). In the beginning family was everything, and in my eyes still is, my father always says “without your family you have nothing”. Later Postman said, “Technocracy gave us the idea of progress, and of necessity loosened our bonds with tradition. . .” (45). I believe this way of thinking was the beginning of the decline of religious tradition and of the family centered world. Postman also describes technolpoly as “the submission of all forms of cultural life to the sovereignty of technique and technology…” (52). In the technocracy era, people could part with their culture and traditions, people still clung to their beliefs.
Postman believes the transition between technocracy and technopoly began close to the Henry Ford era. There are also four interrelated response for the dominance of Technolopy within America: 1) America provided many opportunities with no limits, 2) the genius and audacity of American inventors, nothing was worth preserving if it stood in the way of technological innovation, 3) the convenience, comfort, speed, hygiene, and abundance was so promising there was no reason to explore anything else, and 4) there is nothing left to belief in but technology. (53-55).
“Alfred North Whitehead summed it up best when he remarked that the greatest invention of the nineteenth century was the idea of invention itself . . . the idea if something could be done, it should be done was born” (42). This idea contributed to the technolopy way of thinking. Postman also states “Time became an adversary over which technology could triumph” (45). You would think that this would leave move time for the working person to spend with their family, but it had the opposite effect. People learned if they still work the same amount of they could get more done/make more money. I believe this led people to become more greedy, since we already know money, not land gave people more power. And with this people spend even less time with their family and worshiping god. Technopoly was delved to make life easier, now it is used to make more money. Why have we allowed our society to get so far out of control and our priorities so messed up?

Chapter 2-Postman

In Chapter 2 Postman defines three types of cultures, the first are tool-using culture, technocracies, and technopolies. This chapter focuses on tool-using cultures. Postman defines tool-using societies as thought that used tools solve problems or to serve the symbolic world. He also compared toll-using societies to technocracies. Technocracies were used to strengthen moral s and ideas of mankind. Marx added to this by saying “technologies create the ways in which people perceive reality, and that such ways are the key to understanding diverse forms of social and mental life”. Technology tries to define human morals.
In the beginning tools were not developed attack society or the dignity or integrity of a culture. Tools were governed by law and could not be used to arm Christians. Tools were not introduced to remove God from daily lives, merely to improve the quality of life. Tools were integrated in to cultures in ways that they would not pose significant contradictions to its world-view.
Through reading this chapter I am beginning to understand that Bacon, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, and Newton were only trying to improve the condition of life. Bacon understood this concept the best, he understood that science would improve the happiness of mankind and that all knowledge and goodness comes from God. The use of any tools had to be directed to the service of God. Over time, service to God meant less to man, man was more concerned about himself the y the benefits tools had for him.
The first significant step toward technocracy was discovered by Kepler, he hypothesized that the earth was round. This was a clear call for separation of moral and intellectual values, but Kepler still had room for God. Bacon, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, and Newton classified their work as hypotheses not as scientific discoveries to stay on the good side of the church.
Science should be used to improve the human condition an advance the happiness of mankind.

Chapter 1-Postman

After reading Chapter 1 of Neil Postman’s “Technopoly” I am very concerned about how technology has changed our lives. Before reading this I thought of ‘technology’ as the first computers that were available for home use, not the first computer that was built, but the first computer that was available for mass use. After reading this chapter, I believe ‘technology’ began with the first tools that made human life easier and allowed for mass production. The hammer or the wheel allowed for easier travel and faster building, conserving time. When the mechanical clock was introduced, the monks where able to monitor their time and get more done/ However, technology is neither friend nor foe, merely something that changed our daily lives and we had to adapt to these changes. AS new technologies come out we pay less attention to the old and focus on the new. It does not matter if it is better, only that is it newer. And the inventers of these new technologies are viewed as the people with the power of their day.
Being able to read and write gave everyone the same chance. You just had to get a book to learn, but you had to be able to read, which divided us into the ‘those that can and those that cannot’. Those that cannot are behind again. And now we have a generation so dependent on technology they have lost their creativity, their ability to do simple math, and their ability to communicate with others. Which makes me wonder what will happen to education? Will students go to school and rotate classroom as we do today? will students sit in a wifi hot spot and watch presentations on their laptops? or will they teach themselves via internet classrooms and self directed learning.
Technology has allowed us to stay connected all over the world, but if we had not seen the Eiffel Tower though photographs, television, or the internet would we still want to go visit it?

Introduction

Hello,

My name is Tara and I teach high school agriculture and general science in Iowa.