Technological gains and losses
In a post from six months ago, I wrote about something I think about from time to time, about how, when we get more technologically sophisticated, we lose an intuitive sensitivity that has been vital in our history for adapting and learning over centuries.
This learning enabled us, for instance, to build “vast buildings such as churches and cathedrals… several hundred years ago, without being able to do strength calculations.” (I’m quoting myself here.)
Somewhere I read that Marshall McLuhan said something about how with each technological advance, something is lost. I think he created a model for identifying what is lost and thus comparing that with whatever gain offered by the advance.