New York Times columnist Ezra Klein has popped up on a bunch of my usual podcasts over the last few weeks, part of his promotion of his new book (with Derek Thompson), Abundance. In his appearance with Tyler Cowen, a question was asked about religion, which, in his answer, Klein described is as a technology for doing something. In context, the use of "technology" made sense: Klein was describing the sociological losses we see with less religion. Put positively, Klein described religion as a technology for directing people's needs for belief, belonging, and service towards their best ends (certainly, politics is a cruder vessel for such desires). But describing our practices of faith as a social technology left a lingering impression that Klein has no idea what religion actually is. Just because its effects appear in society, reducing it to "social technology" is thin. Just because we can talk about it this way, should we?The "should we?" question is hard. People like new things, we like our ideas, and when we figure out we can do something, we almost can't help ourselves. Stopping to ask questions about whether it's good or wise or right to say the idea, grab the shiny new toy, or do the thing goes against the grain.
Asking and answering a "but should we?" question requires a calm attitude, willingness to be wrong, and some creativity. You've got to be able to look past the thing that's caught your attention right now and think about what the future might hold. It might be the case that a future version of you might be endlessly frustrated that the current version of you did the thing you're really excited about. The answers aren't always obvious, but take a look at the links below. Based on the headlines alone, there are a whole lot of us unable or unwilling to think about how the rest of our obligations impinge on the one cool trick we're about to perform.
We can give ourselves and our kids glass tablets with endless interactivity and media. Should we? We can record all conversations and use AI to keep tabs on all meetings. Should we? We could poison our neighbor's trees to better our view of the ocean. Should we? We can immediately change a funding formula percentage for research grants. Should we?
It might be boring to reply to a new idea or way of doing things that we should not, but I'd wager the people in the stories below, if they could back up a few steps, would make different decisions.
Reading
The Class Divide Over Screen Time
How technology is creating new class divides
Now That We Can Transcribe Work Meetings and Conversations, Should We?
It’s great to have a full record of what was said in meetings and conversations. But there may be a hidden cost.
An L.L. Bean Heiress Suspected Neighbors of Poisoning Her Trees
When Lisa Gorman noticed that a grove of her majestic oaks had died, she cast her suspicions on seasonal neighbors who wanted a better view of the harbor. The fight that ensued became a town drama that rages on to this day.
The Deeper Question Raised by the NIH Grant Overhaul
Is the Trump administration's goal to run the government or oppose it?