Neo-luddism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the talk page for details.
The term luddite is both a political/historical term relating to political movement in the United Kingdom during the Industrial Revolution and a pejorative used to attack those who are perceived as being uncompromisingly or unnecessarily opposed to one or more technological innovations.
Neo-luddism is perceived as a modern movement of categorical opposition to technology, both in particular and in general. Since there is no self-described group of "neo-luddites," it is not a political movement. On the other hand, when controversial issues arise, advocates of one policy or another tend to group and agglomerate their efforts to effect policy. As a result, an amalgamation of liberal, conservative and radical elements appear falsely as a cohesive, anti-technology, neo-luddite group.
The Luddites were a social movement of English workers in the early 1800s who protested — often by destroying textile machines — against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution that they felt threatened their jobs. The movement, which began in 1811, was named after a probably mythical leader, Ned Ludd. For a short time the movement was so strong that it clashed in battles with the British Army. Measures taken by the government included a mass trial at York in 1813 that resulted in many death penalties and transportations (deportation to a penal colony).
Contents |
[edit] Views
Unlike anarcho-primitivists, someone labeled a Neo-Luddite might not consider technology itself to be evil. They may believe that it influences human nature in a way that promotes evil actions, or simply be skeptical or afraid of the benefits of rapid technological progress. Someone labeled a Neo-luddites may claim that technology is a force that is doing or may do any or all of the following: dehumanise and alienate people; destroy traditional cultures, societies, and family structure; pollute languages; reduce the need for person-to-person contact; alter the very definition of what it means to be human; or damage the evolved life-support systems of the Earth's entire biosphere so gravely as to cause human extinction.
[edit] Reasoning
People described as "neo-luddite" come from a variety of political backgrounds, liberal and conservative, and the arguments used to obtain anti-technology conclusions similarly run across the political spectrum.
Accusations of "neo-luddism" on the left are usually directed at those who oppose technology on the grounds that may contribute to any or all of the following: Loss of personal privacy, ecological degradation (including human extinction), consumerism, and authoritarianism, cruelty to animals, social decay, the collapse of tribal and nature-based ways of life, or the separation of the worker from the means of production.
Those on the right who are "neo-luddites" generally oppose technology on the grounds that it may contribute to any or all of the following: decay of social mores, dehumanization, a snowball effect towards a "Brave New World", the collapse of traditional ways of life, consumerism, or atheism and the decay of spirituality.
Some of those who do not fit neatly into either group, or who fit into both to some degree, oppose technology on essentially anarchist grounds. In their view, the unhindered growth of technology in liberal societies tends to increase governmental and corporate control over individual lives, and lead to increased inequality.
[edit] Labels
Those labelled "neo-luddites" may also be labelled anarcho-primitivist. The term "bio-luddite" is frequently applied to individuals who specifically oppose the development of certain forms of biotechnology. Like "neo-luddite" itself, these various labels are usually applied by their detractors. However, Kalle Lasn is a self-described neo-luddite social activist.
Some "neo-luddites", mostly of the anarcho-primitivist or green anarchist persuasion, do not consider "luddite" to be pejorative and advance explicitly anti-technology arguments, viewing technology as a fundamental form of oppression and alienation. Notable thinkers and writers in this vein include John Zerzan, Derrick Jensen, Jacques Ellul, and Chellis Glendinning; the actions and words of Theodore Kaczynski and groups like the Earth Liberation Front may also be seen as a militant articulation of Luddism. The historical Luddite movement of the early 19th century is often referenced positively in this milieu in spite of its violence.
[edit] "Neo-luddites" and politics
As noted earlier, people categorized as "neo-luddite" usually are so due to their apparent cohesiveness on the political front. This is due to the fact that when a policy that restricts one form of technological innovation or another is before a legislative body, it can be expected that anti-technology advocates on the right and left will support it, despite different or sometimes conflicting motivations. Theodore Kaczynski, the "Unabomber", was a neo-luddite, and the FBI has stated it considers green anarchists like the E.L.F. to be the "leading domestic terror threat". This has led to an ongoing crackdown on the radical ecological movement, known as the Green Scare; most of those arrested stand accused of sabotage actions reminiscent of the original Luddites' tactics.
[edit] Stem cells
On August 09, 2001, a few months after taking office, U.S. President George W. Bush enacted a ban on the expenditure of public funds on stem cell research on embryonic stem cells other than those from cell lines developed by the date of his declaration. This policy was proposed by Leon Kass and Francis Fukuyama in their work on The President's Council on Bioethics.
While the support for the ban as delineated in the works of Kass and the Council is not blatantly "neo-luddite" or anti-technology, any restriction on technology is usually criticized by pro-technology advocates. Moreover, Kass's extensive body of writing in the field of bioethics does express concerted and principled opposition to many forms of biotechnology, providing the basis for opponents to accuse him of being, more specifically, a leading right-wing "bio-luddite".
It should be pointed out, however, that no prohibition on privately funded stem cell research was instituted.
[edit] GMO
A number of countries, as well as the EU, have adopted the Precautionary Principle as law, statute, or regulation, especially with respect to Genetically Modified Organisms. Effectively this bans GMOs from Europe, a fact which has rankled, for example, American corn farmers.
The adoption of the ban places the burden of proof on the producers of GMOs to prove that their products are not harmful. This is noteworthy, since in most other cases the burden of proof lies on governments to prove that a product is harmful.
Part of the reason EU governments adopted these policies is due to large-scale popular campaigns which started before GMOs became established in the European economy, and which included the classic Luddite tactic of night-time sabotage, this time against genetic research and development.
[edit] Cyborg luddites
Recently, a number of researchers, activists, and inventors have begun to see technology as a runaway monster that can be tamed with a piece of itself.[citation needed] The Cyborg Luddites invent new, more personal technologies, such as body-borne computer systems, to limit the encroachment of the technologies around them. For example, in sousveillance personal recording technologies are used to shoot back (short mpg example, 28 MB) at the top-down one-sided hierarchy of surveillance.
[edit] Opposition
Opposition to neo-luddites consists largely of those who believe that technology is either value-free or beneficial. This opposition has sometimes been hindered by a focus on specific issues, and on occasion by a belief that the benefits of certain new technologies are obvious when in fact many people do not understand the technology in question.
One of their opponents' main concerns is to question whether it is always worth saving those things that neo-luddites seek to protect. One form of this objection begins by noting their defense of traditional cultures, and then point out elements (real or imagines) of certain traditional cultures that modern societies find abhorrent, such as cannibalism and slavery. Another form is to note some problem that most people would like to minimize or eliminate - such as cancer (which some people agree can eventually be treated or cured), or the sometimes crippling effects of advanced age (which some people think of as inevitable - but see Geriatrics) - and argue that the main effect of neo-luddism would be to delay or prevent solutions to these problems.
[edit] Conclusions
Whether the arguments come from the right or the left may not affect the general conclusions reached by those who are likely to be labelled as neo-luddites. These conclusions may include claims that some or all of the following are needed: increased governmental control over technological development; increased consumer responsibility; increased corporate responsibility; and ethical inquiries into the ramifications that certain technologies have and will have on society and/or the environment. Some more radical thinkers call for the dismantling of the current technical superstructures of our civilization.
So-called "neo-luddite" thinkers usually reject the popular claim that technology is essentially "value free" or "amoral", that it is merely a set of tools which can be used for either good or evil. Instead, they argue that certain technologies have an inherent tendency to reinforce or undermine particular values. In particular, they argue that some technologies shape the values of their users in ways that are socially disadvantageous.
The term "luddite" is often used as a blanket term, with derrogatory connotations, to describe a "general opposition" to technology. However this misinterprets the original Luddites and their counterparts in the modern world. It is more correct to use the term luddite to refer to those who oppose the use of technology with the disposition to act in a resolute manner.
Some commentators identify a recurrent tendency, in which historical and neo-luddism are both usually included, of people throughout history critiquing technology per se, in expressions ranging from skepticism to physical resistance. This tradition, which also includes anti-authoritarian and insurrectionary overtones and intentions, is often identified as including many indigenous peoples as well as internal dissidents of technological societies.
[edit] Popular culture
The Final Cut, a movie based on the premise of implanted memory recorders, revolves around the conflicts between advocates of the technology, and a violent group of opponents who want to return to the "old" ways of natural memories. These cyberpunk neo-luddites would tattoo themselves with a special ink that caused interference with their own unremovable recorder implants.
The Sheep Look Up, a novel by John Brunner, is set in a future dystopia of corporate control and ecological decay and involves a movement of neo-Luddites called Trainites, whom some reviewers have compared to the Earth Liberation Front.
The Butlerian Jihad is an event in the Dune universe during which all Artificial intelligences are destroyed.
In the The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's radio broadcasts, the planet of Brontitall rid itself of all robots.
The movie Fight Club, as a whole, is a reference to this movement. The plot concerns a neo-luddite movement that seeks the destruction of the industrial system in modern times, with a current day urban vision as a scenario. Several quotes reflect the notion of alienation on modern developt societies, and values of anti-progress, anti-technology and return to the wild. Examples: "We're consumers. We are by-products of a lifestyle obsession. Murder, crime, poverty, these things don't concern me. What concerns me are celebrity magazines, television with 500 channels, some guy's name on my underwear. Rogaine, Viagra, Olestra."; "Fuck Martha Stewart. Martha's polishing the brass on the Titanic. It's all going down, man. So fuck off with your sofa units and Strinne green stripe patterns."; "I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let... lets evolve, let the chips fall where they may."; "Now why do guys like you and me know what a duvet is? Is it essential to our survival, in the hunter-gatherer sense of the word? No."; "In the world I see - you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Tower. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying strips of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway."; "I believe the plan is to blow up the headquarters of these credit card companies and the TRW building."; "If you erase the debt record, then we all go back to zero. It'll create total chaos."
[edit] See also
- Anarcho-Primitivism
- Anti-modernism
- Deep ecology
- Green anarchism
- Kirkpatrick Sale
- Luddism
- Simple living
- Unabomber
[edit] External links and references
- "Cyborg Luddite", CYBORG: Digital Destiny and Human Possibility in the Age of the Wearable Computer, Pages 19-21 and 34, 183
- Is it O.K. to be a Luddite? by Thomas Pynchon
- Luddism and the Neo-Luddite Reaction by Martin Ryder, University of Colorado at Denver School of Education
- Bill Joy (creator of Sun-Microsystems) in his famous write-up which many people claim as neo-luddism
- on-line luddism
- Primitivism writings archive
- Luddites Stan Iverson Memorial Archives (articles, links & timeline)
