Question Earthority!

“There is something about the commercial viability of technology that rivets our consumer-minded brains. This is not a bad impulse! The fewer the bumps and snags in life, the more productive we can be, and the more productive we are, the more wealth and time we have to cultivate higher pursuits. Even if we don’t pursue the higher things, our well-being goes up with new and better technologies, and society is better off. We know this with one part of our brains. But there’s another part that doesn’t consider the broader implications. In truth, those familiar with market logic are accustomed to thinking of big gains in technology as the business of government or government-funded institutions such as universities or major research labs.” (09/13/07)