In my previous essay, I argued that rising to the challenge of the permanent problem is daunting but manageable: you can get there from here. Working within the existing institutional structures of liberal democratic welfare-state capitalism, we can see lines of incremental progress and reform that lead to a substantially more dynamic and inclusive society – one in which capacities and opportunities for stable, secure, and fulfilling lives are steadily expanding.
Great essay. One thing I’m struggling with a bit is finding ways, as an individual, to work toward these ends. I see a lot of interest in these issues in my newsletters, but it’s more challenging in “real life.”
Another fantastic essay. I agree wholeheartedly with Brink regarding his "likeliest dystopian outcome". It's much more "Brave New World" than "1984".
Just today, Amazon released Dr. Jean Twenge's "Generations", and in one snippet of that work, Twenge draws our attention to graphs demonstrating data points that evince a connection between higher rates of depression with lower rates of in-person socialization. I see this anecdotally with the teenagers I teach; over the course of the last 10 years, fewer of them are able to work in partners and small groups because they fear rejection, conflict, etc., and many of them tell me that they prefer to stay in their bedrooms, surf porn (imagine feeling comfortable telling YOUR teacher that!), "chat" with friends. Our school social worker confirms that indeed, Americans teens today are having sex at a later age, as well as imbibing less alcohol, than people of my generation (Generation Xer here). But if many teens are simply sitting at home on their devices, what aren't they doing (besides having sex and drinking alcohol, apparently)? Many teens aren't socializing with family and friends, they're not working on local community projects, they're not out enjoying springtime in nature, etc. In other words, they're not really being human, at least to my way of thinking.
I don't mean this to be an o tempora, o mores! situation. Some in every generation have one reason or another to critique the younger generations. I'm also not a social scientist, and therefore cannot speak with authority on the subject. What I just related re: our teens at my school is simply what I've noticed over the last decade in my own high school bubble, and it's distressing to me. It's distressing because many teens aren't learning to be fully human, and I hate to see them unwittingly limit their own capacity. It's also distressing because these are the people who are going to be running the government (or at least voting for those who run for government office).
I've become a big fan of Stoicism since the early days of the pandemic: recognizing to work on what I can control, to work a bit less on those things that I can partly control, and not bothering with those things outside my control. With such rapid technological changes and political turbulence the likes of which I hadn't personally witnessed in America, I better understand the importance of working on myself to make myself the best self I can be. And then I can try to make a positive impact on the world, however modest.
Apr 22, 2023·edited Apr 22, 2023Liked by Brink Lindsey
There is something inherent in the current economics of capitalist production that rampages in the direction of dehumanization (perhaps this is simply due to the fact that money is countable and time is presumed to be so, whereas happiness, health and community end up as matters for painstaking philosophy.)
Thus my concern with AI goes beyond AI in the hands of "bad people." I'm worried about AI in the hands of the headless systems. It's hard to tell from my media-fueled perspective, but it looks like narrow-minded techies and their investors are pursuing AI from the standpoint of what's cool and what Google, Microsoft and Amazon can use to take us deeper into the contradictory world of labor exploitation and consumerism. Research and science applications for AI seem infinitely more promising, with LLMs simply used as an interface between the scientist and an AI engine.
AI further threatens "meaningful, respected roles" for the world's citizens. Jenny Odell's new book "Saving Time" expanded my understanding of how meaning and respect can get sucked out of jobs. She talks about "de-skilling" in mass production in terms of knowledge: knowledge is denied to workers and becomes the exclusive prerogative of "the idea men." And now with AI we see market forces wanting to restrict knowledge to machines. (Looking at ChatGPT, I would count "opportunity and permission to use time thinking and writing" as a form of acquiring and sharing knowledge that the LLMs are perhaps luring us away from.) In AI's "Brave New World" even Mustapha Mond is just a worker-bee.
By the way, I'm only 20% of the way through _Saving Time_ but the respect for the author that emerged from reading "How to Do Nothing," along with a broadening of my own ideas, increases with each page.
Hi Brink, I loved this. Been thinking along similar lines. Here's what I wrote but consider it just a first stab at these issues. https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/67/saving-democracy/. Mostly I think we can't just keep muddling through. Need more Plan Bs on the table for discussion. Where are you these days? Did a podcast for Geoff K recently and like seeing Ted G. at Niskanen. All best, Belle
Hi Brink, good essay! I agree that we need a plan B, and that it can be very positive. In fact, I'd argue that we have needed a plan B for a long time. It just so happens that I lay out mine in my book "Think Right or Wrong, Not Left or Right: A 21st Century Citizen Guide." I'd be happy to mail you a copy if you're interested. It's a short read; about 150 pages. Email me your mailing address at ingemarson@msn.com if you don't want to advertise it here.
Great essay. One thing I’m struggling with a bit is finding ways, as an individual, to work toward these ends. I see a lot of interest in these issues in my newsletters, but it’s more challenging in “real life.”
Another fantastic essay. I agree wholeheartedly with Brink regarding his "likeliest dystopian outcome". It's much more "Brave New World" than "1984".
Just today, Amazon released Dr. Jean Twenge's "Generations", and in one snippet of that work, Twenge draws our attention to graphs demonstrating data points that evince a connection between higher rates of depression with lower rates of in-person socialization. I see this anecdotally with the teenagers I teach; over the course of the last 10 years, fewer of them are able to work in partners and small groups because they fear rejection, conflict, etc., and many of them tell me that they prefer to stay in their bedrooms, surf porn (imagine feeling comfortable telling YOUR teacher that!), "chat" with friends. Our school social worker confirms that indeed, Americans teens today are having sex at a later age, as well as imbibing less alcohol, than people of my generation (Generation Xer here). But if many teens are simply sitting at home on their devices, what aren't they doing (besides having sex and drinking alcohol, apparently)? Many teens aren't socializing with family and friends, they're not working on local community projects, they're not out enjoying springtime in nature, etc. In other words, they're not really being human, at least to my way of thinking.
I don't mean this to be an o tempora, o mores! situation. Some in every generation have one reason or another to critique the younger generations. I'm also not a social scientist, and therefore cannot speak with authority on the subject. What I just related re: our teens at my school is simply what I've noticed over the last decade in my own high school bubble, and it's distressing to me. It's distressing because many teens aren't learning to be fully human, and I hate to see them unwittingly limit their own capacity. It's also distressing because these are the people who are going to be running the government (or at least voting for those who run for government office).
I've become a big fan of Stoicism since the early days of the pandemic: recognizing to work on what I can control, to work a bit less on those things that I can partly control, and not bothering with those things outside my control. With such rapid technological changes and political turbulence the likes of which I hadn't personally witnessed in America, I better understand the importance of working on myself to make myself the best self I can be. And then I can try to make a positive impact on the world, however modest.
There is something inherent in the current economics of capitalist production that rampages in the direction of dehumanization (perhaps this is simply due to the fact that money is countable and time is presumed to be so, whereas happiness, health and community end up as matters for painstaking philosophy.)
Thus my concern with AI goes beyond AI in the hands of "bad people." I'm worried about AI in the hands of the headless systems. It's hard to tell from my media-fueled perspective, but it looks like narrow-minded techies and their investors are pursuing AI from the standpoint of what's cool and what Google, Microsoft and Amazon can use to take us deeper into the contradictory world of labor exploitation and consumerism. Research and science applications for AI seem infinitely more promising, with LLMs simply used as an interface between the scientist and an AI engine.
AI further threatens "meaningful, respected roles" for the world's citizens. Jenny Odell's new book "Saving Time" expanded my understanding of how meaning and respect can get sucked out of jobs. She talks about "de-skilling" in mass production in terms of knowledge: knowledge is denied to workers and becomes the exclusive prerogative of "the idea men." And now with AI we see market forces wanting to restrict knowledge to machines. (Looking at ChatGPT, I would count "opportunity and permission to use time thinking and writing" as a form of acquiring and sharing knowledge that the LLMs are perhaps luring us away from.) In AI's "Brave New World" even Mustapha Mond is just a worker-bee.
By the way, I'm only 20% of the way through _Saving Time_ but the respect for the author that emerged from reading "How to Do Nothing," along with a broadening of my own ideas, increases with each page.
Hi Brink, I loved this. Been thinking along similar lines. Here's what I wrote but consider it just a first stab at these issues. https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/67/saving-democracy/. Mostly I think we can't just keep muddling through. Need more Plan Bs on the table for discussion. Where are you these days? Did a podcast for Geoff K recently and like seeing Ted G. at Niskanen. All best, Belle
Hi Brink, good essay! I agree that we need a plan B, and that it can be very positive. In fact, I'd argue that we have needed a plan B for a long time. It just so happens that I lay out mine in my book "Think Right or Wrong, Not Left or Right: A 21st Century Citizen Guide." I'd be happy to mail you a copy if you're interested. It's a short read; about 150 pages. Email me your mailing address at ingemarson@msn.com if you don't want to advertise it here.
"liberal democratic welfare-state capitalism"
Wow there's a mouth full.
"Liberal" show me
"Democratic" open your eyes
"Welfare state" minimalistic
"Capitalism" full speed ahead