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Amusing Ourselves to Death (2009)

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Re: Amusing Ourselves to Death (2009)

#191

Post by yldedly »

moffkalast wrote: post #144
yldedly wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then what do you mean when you say "make a difference"?

I think they mean the literal opposite of things staying the same, not the "helping people" idiom.

Fair enough, but for the sake of this conversation, if we say 'good' values are those that keep things from staying the same, aren't the values of smart people just as likely to evolve towards 'bad' ones? For example, I'm sure most people know at least one smart person who only plays video games; it does seem that we'll keep inventing forms of entertainment that wirehead people more and more effectively, which seems in line with the Brave New World scenario.

Re: Amusing Ourselves to Death (2009)

#192

Post by podviaznikov »

tines wrote: post #43
podviaznikov wrote: post #7

Live Neil Postman. Discovered him around 2016 and read many of his books. And planning to regularly reread him. So many things changed since he died but his ideas hold up pretty good.

Technopoly is also amazing, make that your next read.

yes, I’ve read that and many of his books. they all a bit similar and he reuses tons of similar quotes and ideas. but that is even better, he just tries to drive the same points.

Re: Amusing Ourselves to Death (2009)

#193

Post by teamspirit »

bschmidt1 wrote: post #189

It's amazing that solving death and aging is not Goal #1 of every rich and poor person on the planet. Death is coming for you and you're trying to get rich? Engaging in politics? Fighting? What's that gonna do when you're falling apart in real time? We're all dying fast . Medical industry can't stop it either, they don't know how. Nobody does. Yet nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to care.

That’s what bugs me about gen ai. How is it that all these resources are being used on recreating things that humans already do and not entirely focused on aging, health, and the climate?

We already have artists, we don’t have a cure for what we’ve done to the climate. It’s frustrating.

Re: Amusing Ourselves to Death (2009)

#194

Post by [deleted] »

teamspirit wrote: post #193
bschmidt1 wrote: post #189

It's amazing that solving death and aging is not Goal #1 of every rich and poor person on the planet. Death is coming for you and you're trying to get rich? Engaging in politics? Fighting? What's that gonna do when you're falling apart in real time? We're all dying fast . Medical industry can't stop it either, they don't know how. Nobody does. Yet nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to care.

That’s what bugs me about gen ai. How is it that all these resources are being used on recreating things that humans already do and not entirely focused on aging, health, and the climate? We already have artists, we don’t have a cure for what we’ve done to the climate. It’s frustrating.

[deleted]

Re: Amusing Ourselves to Death (2009)

#195

Post by [deleted] »

willguest wrote: post #83

Given that the vast majority of people go to work to earn money for businesses that exist either to exploit natural resources or appreciate in value in the eyes of an economic system that prioritizes increasing capital valuations above all else, including human dignity, long-term survival and the life of other species, I would say we're already there. Talking about a dystopian future is a convenient way to assuade ou…

[deleted]

Re: Amusing Ourselves to Death (2009)

#196

Post by verisimi »

willguest wrote: post #83

Given that the vast majority of people go to work to earn money for businesses that exist either to exploit natural resources or appreciate in value in the eyes of an economic system that prioritizes increasing capital valuations above all else, including human dignity, long-term survival and the life of other species, I would say we're already there. Talking about a dystopian future is a convenient way to assuade ou…

[flagged]

Re: Amusing Ourselves to Death (2009)

#197

Post by wrkronmiller »

bschmidt1 wrote: post #189

It's amazing that solving death and aging is not Goal #1 of every rich and poor person on the planet. Death is coming for you and you're trying to get rich? Engaging in politics? Fighting? What's that gonna do when you're falling apart in real time? We're all dying fast . Medical industry can't stop it either, they don't know how. Nobody does. Yet nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to care.

Even if you could solve aging, you could never solve death. Probability and entropy will catch up with you eventually.

I think that most people over a certain age are quite aware of their own mortality, and are looking to bring meaning to the time that they have.

Re: Amusing Ourselves to Death (2009)

#198

Post by twelve40 »

Topfi wrote: post #90
helloplanets wrote: post #47

A pernicious excitement to learn and play chess has spread all over the country, and numerous clubs for practicing this game have been formed in cities and villages…chess is a mere amusement of a very inferior character, which robs the mind of valuable time that might be devoted to nobler acquirements … they require out-door exercises–not this sort of mental gladiatorship. A game of chess does not add a single new fa…

Another more historic example in the same mold: >>If men learn [to read], it will implant forgetfulness in their souls. They will cease to exercise memory because they rely on that which is written, calling things to remembrance no longer from within themselves, but by means of external marks. Plato, 400-300 BC Basically, learning to read and write would lead to an overreliance and provide only a "semblance of wisdom…

haha the man probably would have been absolutely devastated to learn that his posterity has degenerated to the point of using Google while coding... or god forbid, interviewing.

Re: Amusing Ourselves to Death (2009)

#199

Post by bschmidt1 »

wrkronmiller wrote: post #197
bschmidt1 wrote: post #189

It's amazing that solving death and aging is not Goal #1 of every rich and poor person on the planet. Death is coming for you and you're trying to get rich? Engaging in politics? Fighting? What's that gonna do when you're falling apart in real time? We're all dying fast . Medical industry can't stop it either, they don't know how. Nobody does. Yet nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to care.

Even if you could solve aging, you could never solve death. Probability and entropy will catch up with you eventually. I think that most people over a certain age are quite aware of their own mortality, and are looking to bring meaning to the time that they have.

> eventually

I'll take millions of years instead of 75 thanks

> looking to bring meaning to the time that they have

Everybody says something like this in response to this kind of question about death/aging - or they go all religious on me talking about Jesus etc.

I'm like "what is 2 + 2" and half or more of the people go "I like cake"

Re: Amusing Ourselves to Death (2009)

#200

Post by bdowling »

_yb2s wrote: post #165
tehnub wrote: post #38

People make too much of what Orwell supposedly feared may happen some day. He was writing about stuff the Soviet and British governments were doing in his time, and in particular, imagined what Soviet rule over Britain may look like. Assigning this philosophy to him and criticizing him for it seems unfair.

Also… maybe he achieved his purpose? Most people have read his books, and it helped generate a widespread aversion to authoritarianism… actually preventing it from happening in the USA and Britain. Many countries nowadays do have societies and governments that look a lot like 1984.

No, most people pretended to read Animal Farm and 1984 in middle school and haven’t thought about them since. They didn’t understand them at the time, and they don’t see the similar manipulations going on in today’s society.
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