Philosophy of Technology: Chapter 50 (Chellis Glendinning)

Notes toward a Neo-Luddite Manifesto (1990)

Background notes:

• European-American author of creative nonfiction, licensed psychotherapist specializing in recovery from post-traumatic stress , and political activist
• pioneer in the field of ecopsychology, a proponent of land-based culture, and a critic of technological society
• Alexander Graham Bell her ancestor. Her brother is named after him: Alexander Bell Glendinning

Reading response:
This was a compellingly clear, short, and succinct article. As such, however, it was not totally convincing. I know that it takes the idea to the extreme, in order to make an argument for people troubled by and resistant to modern technology.

Two sections were particularly interesting to me:

1. Page 604 l-h column, when she states that neo-luddites are not anti-technology but rather that they oppose the kinds of technologies that are destructive to human lives and communities--how can she distinguish in advance that technology will be destructive? We rarely know the potential or unintended uses of some technologies. And what of technologies that have both negative and positive impacts?
   
2. Page 604, "learning to critique technology demands fully examining its sociological context, economic ramifications, and political meanings"--I agree with this. Too often we ignore the negative effects of technology.

I wonder how she would suggest we dismantle nuclear, chemical, genetic, electromagnetic, computer technologies. First, they seem too established within society to be dismantled. Second, I'm not sure it's even physically possible, or a good idea. My father was an engineer who worked with water pollution from some of these technologies. I doubt we could effectively dismantle these technologies without causing more harm to the environment. So perhaps her article should not be taken literally?