4 ms·
Cynical, or realistic because everyone has seen what the consequences of such projects can be? Progress can still be good, just like it never was if it also me
by stinos 5y ago
Cynical, or realistic because everyone has seen what the consequences of such projects can be?
Progress can still be good, just like it never was if it also means there are severe downsides and they are just ignored for the sake of progress.
- LiquidSky 5y agoExactly. If anything, the opposite of what the parent says seems to be true: as each new shiny technology or development pops up (e.g., social media or the crypto space) there is an explosion of utopian idealism that is only later dampered when the reality of the downsides sink in. It would be a nice of change of pace if we actually seriously considered the potential downsides of the new cool thing (say, the privacy implications of the social media explosion before universal use).
- SuoDuanDao 5y agoSocieties do that to a greater or lesser degree. The Amish are so famous for it that the neologism 'amistics' has been proposed to refer to a society's choices around adopting technology that is technically feasible. What I think many people are lamenting is that their own society is not optimistic enough about novel technology for their liking. Given that many of the people on Hacker News are near the vanguard for technological innovation by global standards it would seem there's a desire for more permissive amistics than currently exist. If anyone knows where those kinds of subcultures could be found I'd be interested in knowing about it.
- koheripbal 5y agoThe Suez Canal? The Panama canal? The various locks and dams that save hundreds of thousands of lives by preventing mass floodings, generate clean power, and allow deep continental shipping? Nothing is perfect, but only the most delusional think these projects were not MAJOR improvements for humanity.
- dr_dshiv 5y agoHoover dam & Central Valley aqueducts come to mind…