>
> Technology -- which, as I've written before, is a result of our
> innate, and very necessary for survival tool making capacity -- is
> nothing more than a way to solve problems such as, 'how do I keep my
> teeth from rotting and falling out?' Various peoples, over time, have
> devised different methods for addressing this concern. For folks
> living in the Western-modeled technosphere it involves regular dentist
> visits (if you can afford them) brushing, flossing and antiseptics.
> These methods form one technological approach to the lifelong problem
> of tooth health. In Mongolia, things may be done differently.
> Perhaps not.
Yes and no. Technology, since capital has taken over, has also developed as a 1) a means of replacing workers and 2) as a means of controlling workers. In other words, technology has developed not simply to satisfy human needs and improve the quality of our lives but ALSO in order to increase profits and support the expansion and rule of Capital. I do not believe that tools are just neutral. I think that we need to look at our technologies and think through what has called them into being and how they affect our lives: positively as well as negatively.
To say that those who question/criticize technologies are nostalgic luddites, just won't do.
Joanna