Friday, February 11, 2011

Man v. Wild or Man v. Technology

In class this week, we discussed several passages from Thoreau and had a lot of debate. The quote that remained in my mind even after class was the section about Thoreau’s Ideas on Modern Technology and Communication. He claimed that commerce and technology, which lead to the advancement of society, were unnecessary. I understand the argument Thoreau was making, he was trying to persuade us that if we lived more simply and concerned ourselves with less, then we would be happier. Maybe this was the case in 1845, but in today's society technology is a necessity in order to stay in sync with the world. 


The question of whether or not I would be able to give up all my possessions and live off the land for a year doesn't have a simple answer. If the questions is Could I?, then I'll say yes I can. I am an Eagle scout and have extensive knowledge in camping and survival. I don't know if I would learn anything else about myself, but I think if someone without my experience did it they would discover that it's not as hard as they originally though. If the question is Would I?, then I'll have to say no. I admit that I have become comfortable with the modern conveniences we have and wouldn't want to give them up. Why would anyone choose a harder life than they have to. It seems to me that people are constantly trying to find ways to improve their lives and make them easier.


I think all the texts have a common theme throughout them; that if we do not control the evolution of technology, it will eventually control our evolution. Technology is an exciting, but scary reality that we are living with everyday. The advancements in the past thirty years were undreamed of and I'm curious to see what the next thirty years will bring. 
Posted by Rich Sopko at 6:01 PM

6 comments:

  1. Brittany TrotterFebruary 12, 2011 at 8:32 PM

    I said the said the same thing I could if I had to but would never choose too. I do not believe that it consumes my life that much that I do not know myself.

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  2. OliviaFebruary 13, 2011 at 8:27 AM

    Do you think this comfortability with modern technology that you talk about in your blog has developed into something not of convenience but of necessity?

    You discuss some interesting ideas. I like it!

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  3. E.WertFebruary 13, 2011 at 10:40 AM

    I like how you called it Man v. Technology. It makes me think of IRobot and other movies where the technology can think on its own.
    I feel the same way almost about letting go of technology. I could, but at times I really don't want to. I also think that you would learn more about yourself. If you put anyone in a different setting for long periods at a time, we all learn new things about ourselves and what we can do. For instance college, I learned that I don't get homesick even though I like staying in contact with them. We all will learn something about ourselves.

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  4. bs4035February 13, 2011 at 12:47 PM

    I agree completely. While Emerson and Thoreau were alive, technology wasn't nearly as much of a necessity. In our day and age, it is. Our culture is immersed in it because it makes life easier and helps us get things done. I can't argue with that fact that we can be a little over-reliant though, which is the common theme in all of the assigned readings over the past week or two.

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  5. Tiyana Renee'February 14, 2011 at 7:25 AM

    I agree, I could do it, but I would choose not to. I think it's pointless because no one (even back in the day) retrogressed, so why should we? To prove a point? Nope, I wouldn't do it at all.

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  6. BrianFebruary 14, 2011 at 9:14 AM

    I agree that if I really had to live out in the woods for a year I would survive, but if I had the choice to I wouldn't do it.

    ReplyDelete

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