iThink

I remember reading about Richard Feynman's experience splitting the atom, leading to the first explosion of the atomic bomb. For Feynman, and other physicists like him, splitting the atom was an interesting theoretical question--the only thought going through their minds was, "can we do it?" It wasn't until they succeeded, when they watched in the New Mexico desert as U.S. military officers celebrated the first successful test of the atomic bomb that they looked at one another and collectively thought, "crap. What did we just do?" Feynman argued that the atomic test was a triumph of means over ends, where the only important question was, "can we do it?" and not "should we do it?" or "what will it mean if we do it?"

Yesterday, as Christina and I sat with the kids at the doctor's office, we noticed a mother and her early-teenage daughter sitting near us. The daughter was absorbed in a game on the iPad, and the mother was similarly absorbed punching keys on her blackberry. Neither one appeared conscious of anything they were doing, and, although sitting but 10 inches from each other, they could have easily been in a different room or town. They had no consciousness of their surroundings--they literally gave themselves over to the device in their hands. Now, I'm not one to necessarily shun technology--I'm writing on a computer, after all--but I think there is a similar triumph of means over ends concerning our consumption of technologies. As the physicists who developed the first atomic bomb thought "can we do it?" I think the prevailing thought of contemporary human beings vis-a-vis technological devices is "can I buy it?" Buried amidst the hundreds of articles on the wonders of the iPad were a scant two or three articles that addressed questions of whether the new technological device will improve our lives. I think most consumer technologies are a wash--I mean, the computer has done some amazing things, but it also feeds some terrible addictions. Cell phones have made it literally impossible for us to be by ourselves. Video games further blur any kind of distinction we could make between reality and fantasy. When we add this seductive consumer setup to our collective (and recent) fear of letting our kids go outside lest they be snatched up, we find ourselves always indoors, always having to justify the small fortune we spend on our technological devices by giving them most of our precious hours.

This leaves me with a few thoughts: Have we lost our ability to critically assess technology? Since technologies outdate themselves before we can fully assess them, does the speed with which we consume keep us from ever being able to appreciate or assess the value of things? And, if we are losing our ability to critically assess our surroundings, what else are we losing? I teach students who are increasingly unable to read a basic textbook or sit through a 50 minute lecture because they have never had to read a book or listen to someone speak without doing something else. Life is a permanent distraction. As an educator, I wonder what sort of youth we are raising if they have no ability to assess the value of consumer technologies and have long lost their ability to concentrate. If I have one fear for my own kids, it is that they will live in a world where they cannot--literally CANNOT--reflect on anything. Life is too fast for reflection. To me, that's the scariest thing.