Saturday, May 30, 2009

Is Technology Good or Evil?



Kevin Kelly: So if you have life hacking -- life means hacking, the game of survival -- then evolution is a way to extend the game by changing the rules of the game. And what technology is really about is better ways to evolve. That is what we call an infinite game. That's the definition of infinite game. A finite game is play to win, and an infinite game is played to keep playing. And I believe that technology is actually a cosmic force.

The origins of technology was not in 1829, but was actually at the beginning of the Big Bang, and at that moment the entire huge billions of stars in the universe were compressed. The entire universe was compressed into a little quantum dot, and it was so tight in there there was no room for any difference at all. That's the definition. There was no temperature. There was no difference whatsoever. And at the Big Bang, what it expanded was the potential for difference. So as it expands and as things expand what we have is the potential for differences, diversity, options, choices, opportunities, possibilities and freedoms. Those are all basically the same thing. And those are the things that technology bring us. That's what technology is bringing us: choices, possibilities, freedoms. That's what it's about. It's this expansion of room to make differences.


I think this is why the God of Adam tells humanity to "subdue" the Earth. Technology provides options, choices and freedoms, but technology separated from the goodness and wisdom of the Creator becomes inevitably dehumanizing. Choices made in submission to God and others "subdued" to reflect the art of goodness, love and human virtue. Freedom to love and live in peace only grows out of a "subdued" technology. This is an option, choice, freedom that technology alone cannot provide.

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