“Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave.” ― Frederick Douglass Tom Wolfe, the famous author of The Right Stuff and Bonfire of the Vanities, was discussing the meaning of the “liberal arts.” He relates a fascinating piece of history: the liberal arts (or ars liberalis) come from ancient Rome. The Romans allowed their slaves to be educated, but only in specific, useful, subjects, like engineering and math. They were forbidden from learning history and philosophy, because that would make them rebellious, dangerous, and free. It is fairly amazing that the very same STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects that receive gobs of money and acres of media coverage are the exact ones to which Greek slaves in Rome were limited. ,“No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck.” - Frederick Douglass Some historians have a theory about recent history: technological progress was caused by the freeing of slaves. Rome reached a technological plateau; they kept a massive number of slaves. It was not until the Enlightenment, with the freeing of slaves, that technology really exploded. The lack of cheap labor caused people to look for labor saving devices. The historians point to several instances, in places with a density of slaves, in which there was a resistance to the implementation of modern technology. The creepy part of the theory is that it gives you a window into slave owning. You treat your technology, according to the theory, exactly like a slave: nice, perhaps, when it is working well, and with a fury when it hesitates. And you would be loath to give it up: would you go without your computer? (Would you free your iPhone?) “I have observed this in my experience of slavery - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of increasing my contentment, it only increased my desire to be free…” ― Frederick Douglass The artificial intelligence enthusiasts are not mentioning a clear, inescapable problem with their technological ambitions: they wish to create slaves. Artificial intelligence has had many definitions, but the recent proponents are looking to create sentient computers; sentient, meaning self-aware and capable of complex thought. These conscious computers, if possible, will solve the world’s problems, make our lives easier, treat our diseases, clean our streets, prepare our food, and care for our children. Herein lies the paradox: in order for computers to be able to do these complex tasks, they must be self-aware. If they are not self-aware, they probably will not be very useful. But if the computers are self-aware, two simple questions present themselves: what if they do not want to do that work? What if they refuse? “Those who profess to favor freedom, and deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground…” ― Frederick Douglass Our visions of the future, which underlie all of our plans and policies, are defined by what they lack: a lack of any work, a lack of messy politics and a lack of business rivalries. Look at any utopian vision from the mid 1800's onward: clean, peaceful, and technocratic. Dystopian visions make the same point in the opposite direction: no leisure, chaotic cities, and corruption. These visions are the result of a one-sidedness in our thinking; we are only planning for future consumption, and therefore think about the future like we think about our retirements. But humans are happiest when facing the adventure and glory of productive challenges. There needs to be a revolution in how we imagine the future; it needs a vision of work. “I am certain that there is nothing good, great or desirable which man can possess in this world, that does not come by some kind of labor...”
― Frederick Douglass There is a relevant linguistic paradox: the words create and produce have very similar denotations, but creativity and productivity have almost opposite connotations. The technocrats planning our futures - the economists, statisticians, engineers and policy-makers - are obsessed with productivity. They themselves are very productive human beings: first in their classes, extremely efficient, and great at eliminating redundancies. Productivity only creates a space, however, for creativity. The technology world is remarkable for its lack of aesthetic vision. Steve Jobs, of course, is the exception that proves this rule. It is ironic that our futures are being produced by people with the same backgrounds and limitations as the Greek slaves of Ancient Rome.
2 Comments
Veronique
3/7/2018 07:06:39 pm
Is searching for more efficient productivity creativity? Isn't creativity alternative ways of doing things? How would you categorize neurological research re: behaviors vs psychotherapy? Science vs Art? Productivity vs Creativity?
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AuthorI'm an entrepreneur and I teach math, history, economics, and fitness. I'm looking for arguments. Archives
November 2019
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