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Interesting article. While there's a lot to criticize about Snow's talk - that techno-optimism has aged very badly, after all - I think he's right that too many
by BoingBoomTschak 1mo ago
Interesting article. While there's a lot to criticize about Snow's talk - that techno-optimism has aged very badly, after all - I think he's right that too many scientist types lack true artistic interest and thus insight going beyond a "neat!" while reading Herbert or listening to prog rock.
But I don't think the problem concerns scientists much more than the general intellectual class; yes, even amongst so-called literature or philosophy intellectuals. Learned but not wise is the recurring motif and I doubt anything can be done about a "problem" that's always been.
- Levitz 1mo ago>that techno-optimism has aged very badly, after all There is no way that the kind of progress that happened in the last 60 years doesn't make it into the history books for centuries, very probably millenia. I'm just utterly lost as to how someone can actually say this, I could bring up numbers on hunger, or child mortality, or the enormous, mind-boggling in degree, improvements in the quality of life of the average person, or how absolutely crazy the concept of taking progress for granted is. It'd be easier to convince me that grass is blue.