27 ms·
While I don’t think the rest of society needs to go to the degree the Amish have, I think there’s a lot we can learn from their thoughtful consideration of tech
by burlesona 4y ago
While I don’t think the rest of society needs to go to the degree the Amish have, I think there’s a lot we can learn from their thoughtful consideration of technology and whether it makes their life better. Among the HN crowd, I feel we get excited about tech for the sake of tech, but finding an appropriate and healthy skepticism about the effects of our inventions is probably the next level of maturity we need to develop.
- ChatGTP 4y agoI completely agree. I don't really understand the hurry?
- 4dayworkweek4u 4y agoThe Amish are also very wise to separate peacefully/voluntarily from others based on values... decreasing conflict/trouble/tensions.
- Swizec 4y ago> Among the HN crowd, I feel we get excited about tech for the sake of tech I feel like HN has a healthy skepticism about IoT at least. We seem to generally agree that fewer devices should have internet access.
- xwolfi 4y agoAnd crypto thank God...
- alwayslikethis 4y agoYeah, HN is ironically the most tech-skeptical crowd I've frequented. Maybe it's a part of the libertarianism inherent in hacker culture, which is less diluted in HN compared to other platforms due to a lesser influx of new non-techy users.
- chaostheory 4y ago> finding an appropriate and healthy skepticism about the effects of our inventions is probably the next level of maturity we need to develop This happens automatically with age. The HN crowd is older now. Just look at the skepticism around AR and VR. The problem is there’s no actual exploration and experimentation paired with the skepticism.
- PaulDavisThe1st 4y agoJob of the young: discover and be blinded by the new Job of the old: remind the young that there's little new under the sun, and a cost to everything.
- chaostheory 4y agoSpeaking as an older person observing peers, the problem with older people in this case is that lazy stereotypes and terrible assumptions replace discovery and actual verification. The end result is “get off my lawn” and “new things annoy me”
- lockhouse 4y agoI'd be ok with an "Amish" inspired web development movement. Traditional HTML backed by CGI-BIN served by Apache on a Linux or BSD server would be great.
- tcmart14 4y agoI don't know why, but I could see this as a youtube comedy sketch.
- whatshisface 4y agoYou will never get two people to agree on when web technological progress should have been frozen. Here is an essay that essentially address this: http://www.paulgraham.com/avg.html http://www.paulgraham.com/avg.html
- badpun 4y agoWhat is this web technology progress you refer to?
- lockhouse 4y agoI think the <blink> element is where we we should freeze it! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blink_element https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blink_element
- whatshisface 4y agoThen you will be happy to learn that modern browser vendors all decided to freeze the blink element. :-)
- SketchySeaBeast 4y ago<marquee>
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- ARandomerDude 4y ago
- nine_k 4y ago> whether it makes their life better It depends on the definition of "better". The Amish idea of better is serving God, avoiding or repenting sin, and thus attaining salvation. Most people's idea of good life is pretty different, given the basic axioms it's built upon. This is why attempts to build a life by imitating various highly admirable spiritual movements mostly fail. To reap the benefits of the lofty ideas and commendable ways of life one needs to consciously* adopt most of the spiritual teachings which have lead to the development of these ideas and ways of life. You either convert to them, or admit that it's too hard to follow the way. * Amish only accept adult, conscious baptism.
- emodendroket 4y agoIn practice I am not sure it is so easy to say "no thanks" to your adult baptism and abandon everyone and everything you've known up to that point.
- rendall 4y agoIt is difficult, but not unknown. The documentary Devil's Playground features several Amish who permanently left the church. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil's_Playground_(2002_film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil's_Playground_(2002_film) And also, sadly, many Amish flee physical and sexual abuse: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Amish+abuse&ia=web https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Amish+abuse&ia=web
- kiicia 4y agoPoint is it’s virtually impossible without turning your life around and start from nothing in different place
- emodendroket 4y agoOf course it happens, but I would guess many stay with misgivings.
- sacnoradhq 4y ago[flagged]
- msla 4y agohttps://www.aetv.com/real-crime/child-sexual-abuse-amish https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/child-sexual-abuse-amish > Child Sexual Abuse in the Amish Community: A Hidden Epidemic Turns out, a closed-off, hierarchical community isn't something to emulate. Doesn't help that a lot of them only get an eighth grade education: https://home.dartmouth.edu/news/2012/03/professor-william-fischel-discusses-amish-educational-system-modern-society https://home.dartmouth.edu/news/2012/03/professor-william-fi... > The Amish community’s adherence to a lifestyle more typical of the 19th century, which includes driving horse-drawn buggies and living in homes with no electricity, is driven by religious beliefs. But the Amish’s adherence to educating their children in one-room schoolhouses, and then only through the eighth grade, is largely the result of a 1972 Supreme Court decision, Yoder v. Wisconsin. This 40-year-old ruling has “frozen them in place” and threatens the younger generation’s ability to earn a living in an increasingly complex society, argues Professor of Economics William A. Fischel in a recent paper. https://www.amishheritage.org/services/education/ https://www.amishheritage.org/services/education/ > In 1972, the United States Supreme Court decided in Wisconsin v. Yoder that Amish children do not have the right to any future other than one inside the Amish Church. https://lancasteronline.com/features/former-amish-want-to-overturn-court-ruling-that-allows-amish-to-take-kids-out-of/article_763a8b6a-f1e0-11e9-b662-33127ad932ea.html https://lancasteronline.com/features/former-amish-want-to-ov... So it seems their "thorough consideration of technology" is in the context of a culture that's not going to change because it would threaten the established hierarchy. That's the threat, here: Something like this might start out well-intentioned, but once the institution is in place, well, any excuse will serve a tyrant, eh? Any excuse will serve the organization.
- scns 4y ago> Turns out, a closed-off, hierarchical community isn't something to emulate. Very true. There is a quote, often misattributed, about how power corrupts. To lazy to google it, sorry. > Doesn't help that a lot of them only get an eighth grade education: That is 5 years more than some ultraorthodox jews get, check out link [1] here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35336142 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35336142
- 4dayworkweek4u 4y ago
- carabiner 4y agoThis ex-Amish TikToker is incredible: https://www.tiktok.com/@yodertoter40?_t=8abRVLmk1ra&_r=1 https://www.tiktok.com/@yodertoter40?_t=8abRVLmk1ra&_r=1 Some of his content is benign, but he also discusses the epidemic of child abuse (including sexual), rampant sexism, and the general cruelty of Amish culture. They have been regularly desecrating his father's grave, who committed suicide due to Amish abuse.
- monero-xmr 4y ago[flagged]
- pjc50 4y agohttps://gomag.com/article/leaked-emails-from-the-group-that-pushes-anti-trans-laws-across-the-country/ https://gomag.com/article/leaked-emails-from-the-group-that-... The debate is being deliberately poisoned by promoting a few detransitioners to use against people who are actually happy having transitioned.
- watwut 4y agoThere is large and vocal conservative community trying to create hysteria over trans people and their transition.
- dinkly 4y ago[flagged]
- watwut 4y agoFrankly, this is a lie. The only ones going for kids were anti trans activists - because attacking trans kids is easier. This has nothing to do what trans activists done or not done. This was about conservatives needing an ennemy and feeling disgust over trans people existing.
- 4y ago
- chr1 4y agoIt is good that different groups in society behave differently. People not using technology like hunter-gatherers and Amish provide safety net, and people jumping to everything new are the explorers. Both extremes are needed, and HN crowd becoming skeptical of technology, or Amish using new rechnology would make them the same as average, and be less useful for the society.
- AdamN 4y agoThey're not necessarily against tech - but all the tech they have must be self-maintainable without outside engagement. So you could imagine a contemporary Amish-like culture around right-to-repair but it would still be very low-tech.
- tourgen 4y ago[dead]