The Machine Pauses • Hacker News Board

Re: The Machine Pauses

#31

Post by johnday » Thu, May 14, 2020, 12:21 AM UTC

adamsmith838 wrote: post #13

Nasrudith wrote: post #11

I can't help but think of the author as spoiled and out of touch while worshipping a utopia that never was and forgetting both the brutality of the past and the fringes of today who lack much of the benefits. "What has efficency done for us?" is a real straight line, a question that is a set up for a gag the length of an essay that makes "Who is John Galt" look terse. Forget the aquaducts of the romans. Aside from al…

He’s talking specifically about disposable consumer tech, cranking out machinery that sits and rots when reality throws a pandemic at us. Chasing new literal machines for the sake of chasing new literal machines It’s the difference between focusing on biology of a tree and not ecology of a forest Not systems efficiency in general, specific efficiencies we’re chasing by describing how much time we put into them relati…

> He’s talking specifically about disposable consumer tech, cranking out machinery that sits and rots [...]

Where did you get this impression from? No such thing is mentioned in the article, not that I saw at least.

Re: The Machine Pauses

#32

Post by lookdangerous » Thu, May 14, 2020, 3:12 AM UTC

fartcannon wrote: post #6

high_5 wrote: post #3

It's a pattern as old as the technology and civilization dependent on it: 1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4 And they said…

Is the lord here just a dick? Why would he do that?

I read this story as a patterned warning against what happens when Humanity becomes too rallied around one particular creative act, so in agreement that they lose sight of the rest of reality and bring about their own downfall. This happens often imo.

Re: The Machine Pauses

#33

Post by lookdangerous » Thu, May 14, 2020, 3:27 AM UTC

lowdose wrote: post #18

Erlich_Bachman wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I highly recommend watching Jordan Peterson's lectures on youtube called "Biblical Series". They (attempt to) explain this and similar questions from Christianity to people who are typically smart and approach the world intellectually, who will usually have trouble with these concepts and the meaning of the stories. Regardless of "belief" in Christinity, it is clear to me at least that any such simplistic interpretat…

Than you really have to stretch the principle of charity beyond what it reasonable. Just read the first of the ten commandments and there is a very jealous undertone about other gods. "I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt not have any strange gods before Me." From this statement it is very clear to me who God is and that is not the Universe, society nor the father of time.

Ah, but this jealousy makes perfect sense if God is indeed the ‘father of everything’. It is common in contemporary Christian parlance to refer to idols as things that distract us from God. This is a very useful concept that is born directly out of that commandment. And why no idols? Because any construct of the mind that interferes with seeing true reality is probably going to end badly- like someone in a blindfold walking off a pier.

Re: The Machine Pauses

#34

Post by Erlich_Bachman » Thu, May 14, 2020, 1:13 PM UTC

lowdose wrote: post #18

Erlich_Bachman wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I highly recommend watching Jordan Peterson's lectures on youtube called "Biblical Series". They (attempt to) explain this and similar questions from Christianity to people who are typically smart and approach the world intellectually, who will usually have trouble with these concepts and the meaning of the stories. Regardless of "belief" in Christinity, it is clear to me at least that any such simplistic interpretat…

Than you really have to stretch the principle of charity beyond what it reasonable. Just read the first of the ten commandments and there is a very jealous undertone about other gods. "I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt not have any strange gods before Me." From this statement it is very clear to me who God is and that is not the Universe, society nor the father of time.

As the other comment pointed out, it simply means to see that everyting is in unity, everything is part of the same universe, same god. To not get only one part of the world (like fame or material possessions, or a single other person, or affiliation with a political party) and make it your idol god, because that will ultimately lead to disaster. There is nothing "jealous" about this.