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by Apreche 4878 days ago
It's so hilarious to see people write things like this as if they have discovered or thought of something novel. Have they not read any of the major cyberpunk or sci-fi novels of the past century? Have they not studied any history of technology? The article doesn't mention Luddites even once.

Personally I view anti-technology, anti-progress, and anti-intellectualism as perhaps the greatest threats to our society. I want to get as close to a Ghost in the Shell-like world as possible in my lifetime, and those forces are directly in the way.
3 comments
potatolicious 4878 days ago
> "I want to get as close to a Ghost in the Shell-like world as possible in my lifetime"

GITS is not exactly a ringing endorsement of its own universe. We're talking about a universe where indentured servitude is the norm, xenophobia runs rampant, entire people are hacked and puppeteered by blackhats, the class divide is wider than ever, and there are constant, violent clashes between the techno-elite and the have-nothings who rely literally on scrap cybernetic implants to survive. And in all of this, no one is safe - even the rich - everyone is subject to the whims of hackers on both sides of the law.

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dljsjr 4878 days ago
Jesus.

Maybe OP doesn't like sci-fi, and so no he hasn't read any of those books. I'm a nerd and I probably haven't read most of the books that you were bouncing around in your head when you made this comment.

And he never claimed to be Socrates. He simply had an insight and chose to share it.

Why so angry?

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fennecfoxen 4878 days ago
For further historical perspective, general edification, and an ounce of insight into the motivation and fears of the people who might oppose your goals, read the science-fiction novel _That Hideous Strength_ by C. S. Lewis. In presenting the rise of a dystopia it provides a meaningful illustration of public perceptions of technology and progress, and historical anti-technology sentiment.

Moreover, if you like sci-fi, you may be interested to learn that the novel is in many ways the prototype version of _1984_ (Orwell himself wrote a book review; he had mixed feelings overall but had glowing praise for the dystopian aspects), just less modern. It's also the last dystopian sci-fi novel written before the atomic bomb (which permanently affected the genre.)

Orwell's book review is here: http://www.lewisiana.nl/orwell/

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