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Effect of technology on human beings
Effect of technology on human beings
Effect of technology on human beings
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Let us see what Hitler thought of the masses he moved and how he did the moving. The first principle from which he started was a value judgment: the masses are utterly contemptible. They are incapable of abstract thinking and uninterested in any fact outside the circle of their immediate experience. Their behavior is determined, not by knowledge and reason, but by feelings and unconscious drives. (Huxley, 1958, p.3)
If Hitler looked at mankind today with his opinion be the same? Would he succeed at moving the masses to the deplorable deeds as he once succeeded in doing? The instinctive answer would be no, of course not; but, there exist today a constant bombardment of information, distractions, demands, and influences attacking us at the same time there still exist the same emotions and motivations that moved the masses of Hitler’s era. In the face of this barrage, how can mankind possibly keep its mind muscle when society is being pushed to mind mush? Armed with the proper intellectual tools, mankind’s mind muscle will remain strong.
For about a century now, literature and films like The Hunger Games, Harry Potter series, Logan’s Run, Terminator, I Robot, and others include control of the masses or the rise of artificial intelligence. In his article, Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman (1984) describes the differences between the prophetic visions of George Orwell’s, 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s, Brave New World. Orwell’s books, Postman explains, tell of “externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother or Ministry of Truth is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity, and history. As Huxley saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities...
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... Papworth & R. Seamons (Eds.), The way of wisdom (pp.). Rexburg, ID: BYU-Idaho. Retrieved May 7, 2012 from http://ilearn.byui.edu
Morowitz, H. J. (2010). Drinking hemlock and other nutritional matters. W. Brugger, D. Hammond, M. K. Hartvigsen, A. Papworth & R. Seamons (Eds.), The way of wisdom (pp.). Rexburg, ID: BYU-Idaho. Retrieved May 7, 2012 from http://ilearn.byui.edu
Pinker, S. (2010). Mind over mass media. W. Brugger, D. Hammond, M. K. Hartvigsen, A. Papworth & R. Seamons (Eds.), The way of wisdom (pp.). Rexburg, ID: BYU-Idaho. Retrieved May 7, 2012 from http://ilearn.byui.edu
Postman, N. (2010). Amusing ourselves to death. W. Brugger, D. Hammond, M. K. Hartvigsen, A. Papworth & R. Seamons (Eds.), The way of wisdom (pp.). Rexburg, ID: BYU-Idaho. Retrieved May 7, 2012 from http://ilearn.byui.edu
Singh, T. (Director). (2012). Mirror mirror [Motion Picture].
To conclude, Postman's analysis that Huxley's vision of the future has become more of a reality than that of Orwell's. Although the present day is not exactly how Huxley had envisioned it, our society will soon reflect the one created in Brave New World if it continues to progress as it had in the past few decades. Orwell's prediction does not hold much relevance in today's society. Our government is not constantly watching over us, they have more important difficulties to overcome. Government is not concerned with the actions of individuals; they base their decisions on the opinions of the masses. Huxley's travesty holds far more relevance than the prestigious social theory of Orwell.
The setting was perfect as the people of Germany were primed and ready for any leader that would tickle their ears with what they were wanting to hear. World War I was over (#4) and the people of Germany were in an economic depression that crippled the country. The German mark had lost so much value that it took a wheelbarrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread. A good portion of the youth in Germany were raised in fatherless homes. In an article written by Dr. Alice Hamilton, she says this about Hitler's youth: "They were children during the years of the war when the food blockade kept them half starved, when fathers were away at the front and mothers distracted with the effort to keep their families fed. They came to manhood in a country which seemed to have no use for them. Even compulsory military training was no more and there was nothing to take its place" (Perry et. al 358). Hitler, being the sleazy opportunist that he was, capitalized on this state of affairs. In ways that were not politically correct, he was able to influence this segment of the population and hold them in allegiance to his agenda. "Hitler made each insignificant, poverty stricken, jobless youth of the slums feel himself as of the great of the earth, since the youth was a German, a Nordic, far superior to the successful Jew who was driven out of office and counting house to make place for the youth and his like" (Perry et. al 359). The following is an example of how Hitler coerced and manipulated people and how we as managers and leaders can learn from his mistakes. This essay will also address how we can effectively influence people and earn their loyalty. In order to effectively influence peopl...
David R. Morrow stated in his article, When Technologies Makes Good People Do Bad Things: Another Argument Against the Value-Neutrality of Technologies, “the use or invention of technology is not wrong it is the users who have ‘‘vicious’’ or condemnable preferences that will affect the outcome.” Orwell used technology in a way that many people of that time would never have imagined possible and created a fear of the future for his readers. How could a man, who was unaware of what the future would hold, be so acute and on point with how the world would be today? In his last interview Orwell said, “Always there will be the intoxication of power and always and every moment there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on the enemy who is helpless.” Orwell tried to warn people not of the technology but of the danger technology might cause in the future if it landed in the wrong hands. In this paper, I will be exploring how the world of technology mimics that of Winston’s world and how “privacy” has lost its meaning due to technology just like in 1984 but the biggest issue I will research is why do we allow it the government to monitor our
According to Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death, Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World both predicted that society would eventually be governed by a global totalitarian system; however, the key difference between both their predictions is the method by which society’s cognizance would be undermined. Orwell claimed that contemporary society would be controlled by overt modes of policing and supervising the social hierarchy, whereas Huxley stated that society’s infatuation with entertainment and superficial pleasure alone would be enough for the government to have absolute control over the public. Unfortunately, today’s society is not an Animal Farm. All jokes aside, Postman’s assertion of Huxley’s theory, “what
Adolf Hitler’s political goals and social philosophies can be seen vividly through a brief excerpt of his autobiography/exposition entitled “Mein Kampf” or “My Struggles.” Hitler’s thoughts seemed to arise from a mind that blamed the German
The novel Brave New World written by Aldous Huxley has been reviewed over time by many different people. Neil Postman is a man who has read Huxley’s novel and came to conclusions himself about the comparison between the novel, and the modern day problems we have in today’s society. Postman has made many relevant assertions as to how our modern society is similar to what Huxley had written about in his novel. The three main points I agree on with Postman is that people will begin to love their oppression; people would have no reason to fear books; and that the truth will be drowned by irrelevance. The first assertion Postman made regarded people loving their oppression.
In the dystopian text, 1984, by George Orwell the reader is exposed to an environment where the government or ‘party’ exerts complete control over the public. They maintain this power through the use of technology and depriving the public of any privacy or personal opinions. Throughout the novel we experience different character’s views and uses of technology; O’Brien’s use of technology to establish control, Charington use of technology to prevent rebellion against the party and Winston and Julia’s avoidance of technology to try to establish their own lives, away from the control of the government.
Before World War II Hitler successfully implemented tactics through propaganda to secure his position as the next German Chancellor. Without using propaganda to increase his popularity Hitler would not have been able to gain the support he needed to gain control of Germany. He manipulated the German people by stating that Germany needs to become united to preserve their freedoms and to keep peace throughout the country. When Hitler was campaigning as a candidate for Chancellor he stated in one of his speeches, “Show tomorrow your firm national unity… Support with me and the Reich Chancellor the principle of equal rights and of peace with honor” (Larson, p. 175). By using a manipulative style of speaking to the public Hitler was able to present himself as one for the people, showing that he prioritized them above everything else. However, this was all a trick to increase Hitler’s popularity so he could eventually become dominant over all aspects of German life. The Nazi Regime achieved this through strategic implementations of propaganda. This desensitized the public into believing Hitler could help Germany in its time of economic and political struggle. A few people were surprised by the amount of propaganda used by the Nazis. One person was a Jewish philologist in Dresden, he noted that, “On every commercial vehicle, post office van, mailman’s bicycle, on every house and shop window, on broad banners, quotations form Hitler are everywhere and al...
Imagine a society in which its citizens have forfeited all personal liberties for government protection and stability; Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, explores a civilization in which this hypothetical has become reality. The inevitable trade-off of citizens’ freedoms for government protection traditionally follows periods of war and terror. The voluntary degradation of the citizens’ rights begins with small, benign steps to full, totalitarian control. Major methods for government control and censorship are political, religious, economic, and moral avenues. Huxley’s Brave New World provides a prophetic glimpse of government censorship and control through technology; the citizens of the World State mimic those of the real world by trading their personal liberties for safety and stability, suggesting that a society similar to Huxley’s could exist outside the realm of dystopian science fiction.
Few individuals have been able to change the ideals of others; Adolph Hitler was one such individual. His worldly impact began in the 1920’s and continues today. He is associated with both chaos and the complete destruction of many innocent lives. Hitler’s ideology developed when an economic collapse occurred in Germany. He offered ideas to the desperate people of Germany that they could not refuse. These ideas are responsible for the beginning of Western Racism, the singling out of a specific race as inferior. He also has been called the eliminator of the entire Jewish population. One must ask why the German people eagerly welcomed his radical ideas. World-renowned Hitler biographer Alan Bullock expresses the problem with understanding the madness of Hitler in his statement "The more I learn about Hitler the harder I find it to explain." To find an explanation for Hitler’s madness the first question to be answered is; "When did it begin?"
In the article excerpt, social critic Neil Postman describes two dystopian novels: George Orwell’s 1984, and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Postman compares which novel is more relevant to today’s society, and leans more towards Brave New World. When both novels are compared side by side, it is evident that Huxley’s world is indeed more relative to modern day civilization.
Even though many of Orwell’s ideas in his novel 1984 seemed completely fictional, several of the concepts throughout his book have a common link to today’s society. For instance in the same way telescreens monitor people every second of their li...
Technology in a Totalitarian Society. In Brave New World written by Aldous Huxley and 1984 written by George Orwell the dystopian societies depend on technology to create a totalitarian society. Brave New World is a sequel to 1984, because Brave New World is an established dystopian society which uses technology in a much more pleasureable way, whereas in 1984 the technology is used in a much more aggressive manner. The technology used in both novels aids both governments in creating a totalitarian society, technology helps the government take control over all citizens, influence all of the peoples actions, and determine the people’s emotions.
David. "Mass Media and the Loss of Individuality." Web log post. Gatlog. N.p., 11 Sept. 2007. Web. 10 May 2014.
Mass Media. Ed. William Dudley. Farmington Hills, MI: Thompson Gale, 2005. 121-130.