I mean, "Amusing Ourselves to Death" was published in 1985, and Nietzsche wrote in 1874,
Increasingly we lose this sense of surprise, so that we are no longer overly
amazed at anything and, ultimately, find satisfaction in everything—this is
what is called historical sensibility, historical cultivation. Stated
noneuphemistically: the massive influx of impressions is so great; surprising,
barbaric, and violent things press so overpoweringly—'balled up into hideous
clumps'—in on the youthful soul; that it can save itself only by taking
recourse in premeditated stupidity.
So I'm not sure what the point of the "pre-date" claim is. I am curious if you've come up with any good suggestions on how to 'fix' the problem in those intervening years, though.
Don't forget Kierkegaard, who made very similar observations well before Nietzsche.
No doubt there is a very human pattern at work that hasn't changed over the centuries. Also no doubt that there is a technological amplifier at work as well.
I look at it like money: having lots of money tends to make you more of what you already are. So if you're a jerk, being rich is just going to exacerbate that. In a way, then, being able to handle great wealth is an indication of a very stable (and perhaps dull) personality.
Technology is doing a very similar thing with distractions. Some folks are easily distracted. Some are not. As technology improves, people who are less-easily distracted are finding they are spending more and more of their time plugged in. The best argument here is self-reports: many people freely acknowledge that they spend more time plugged in than they are comfortable with.
As far as solutions, I tried a couple myself, along with some volunteers from HN. Didn't get a lot of traction, sadly. "Purposeful interruptions" was the line we were pursuing. At the time of the essay, my money was on a new form of morality taking hold -- that it simply won't be "cool" to spend too much time physically inert. That hasn't happened, sadly.
PG also wrote an essay a few months after mine along these lines. I keep hoping that with so many smart people looking at this we will start seeing some breakthroughs.
I guess if we were to trace the genealogy of the idea, Plato's Republic has the words,
"Now, the true city is in my opinion the one we just described--a
healthy city, as it were. But, if you want to, let's look at a
feverish city, too. Nothing stands in the way....This healthy
one isn't adequate any more, but must already be gorged with a
bulky mass of things."
I tried a solution once, too: I threw away my computer.
I never got my laptop back. Eventually I needed a computer again, but for about 6 months I survived fairly well without one. I guess, for me, it reached a point of addiction & needed a clean break to recover sanity.
Ha. "Our earth is degenerate in these latter days. There are signs that the world is speedily coming to an end. Bribery and corruption are common." - Assyrian clay tablet, ca. 2800 B.C.
It's an inherent part of being human to see the present day as the end of days.
Or, we're seeing through more of the nice, shiny veneer of youth that says "Everything's OK" and mark this new vision as worse than the old one, inferring a decline.
Comments
I mean, "Amusing Ourselves to Death" was published in 1985, and Nietzsche wrote in 1874,
So I'm not sure what the point of the "pre-date" claim is. I am curious if you've come up with any good suggestions on how to 'fix' the problem in those intervening years, though.Don't forget Kierkegaard, who made very similar observations well before Nietzsche.
No doubt there is a very human pattern at work that hasn't changed over the centuries. Also no doubt that there is a technological amplifier at work as well.
I look at it like money: having lots of money tends to make you more of what you already are. So if you're a jerk, being rich is just going to exacerbate that. In a way, then, being able to handle great wealth is an indication of a very stable (and perhaps dull) personality.
Technology is doing a very similar thing with distractions. Some folks are easily distracted. Some are not. As technology improves, people who are less-easily distracted are finding they are spending more and more of their time plugged in. The best argument here is self-reports: many people freely acknowledge that they spend more time plugged in than they are comfortable with.
As far as solutions, I tried a couple myself, along with some volunteers from HN. Didn't get a lot of traction, sadly. "Purposeful interruptions" was the line we were pursuing. At the time of the essay, my money was on a new form of morality taking hold -- that it simply won't be "cool" to spend too much time physically inert. That hasn't happened, sadly.
PG also wrote an essay a few months after mine along these lines. I keep hoping that with so many smart people looking at this we will start seeing some breakthroughs.
I guess if we were to trace the genealogy of the idea, Plato's Republic has the words,
I tried a solution once, too: I threw away my computer.How did you decide to acquire it back, if I may ask?
I never got my laptop back. Eventually I needed a computer again, but for about 6 months I survived fairly well without one. I guess, for me, it reached a point of addiction & needed a clean break to recover sanity.
Ha. "Our earth is degenerate in these latter days. There are signs that the world is speedily coming to an end. Bribery and corruption are common." - Assyrian clay tablet, ca. 2800 B.C.
It's an inherent part of being human to see the present day as the end of days.
We see the world through our experiences. We are getting older, having more problems as we age, so we see that the world is getting worse.
Or, we're seeing through more of the nice, shiny veneer of youth that says "Everything's OK" and mark this new vision as worse than the old one, inferring a decline.