So, a philosophical question Will automation decrease creativity?
Does materialism decrease creativity?
I tend to think emphasis on the external world decreases creativity
Relying on things outside ourselves decreases creativity
He habit of Relying on solutions outside ourselves decreases creativity
Scarcity drives demand
I wonder on a mass social level, if we create a society that fundamentally relies on these systems for survival, and it creates an inescapable -cosm, where you cannot reject it without undermining your ability to flourish …
For instance, one cannot survive “in” society and reject the use of currency
You must leave society and live on the fringe
If we have an automated society, where all our needs are cared for, and surviving requires very little creativity and reflection whatsoever, and we don’t have much of an option to do things different….
Religion is the opiate of the masses
Entertainment is the opiate of the masses nowadays, it seems
Meaning and purpose seem like they can have a low bar
I guess that’s what I’m challenging, that in an automated society, will there be variety?
There’s typically a convergence that occurs in technology due to adoption inertia
I mean, these massive technological systems have lead to in large part monopolies
which results in a convergence of technology, and what we’re familiar with
Banks are converging. How banking is conducted for most people is largely the same across these 5 largest institutions.
Same could be said for media and television.
For grocery shopping.
Etc
So like, when I go to other countries, and I see how their life is different, it makes me hyper aware of institutional forces that shape our behaviors
Institutions make us like sheep
And automated systems that allow us to access things with ease incentivize and condition our behaviors
I see how people shop differently, how the stores there encourage a different set of behaviors.
Has Facebook made us more or less free?
It’s automated our ability to network
And share information
You could argue the facebook microcosm has experienced a lot of creativity in the way of memes and shit
But it’s under the umbrella of facebook
We’re operating under their system
So in a sense, is it authentic creativity? Or just a cheap splinter of it, because we’re bound to the constraints of it, and it’s become almost a necessary tool
And I apply this to other automated processes
It’s like, an institution offers up a paradigm for viewing the world, and automation technology (be it software or hardware) facilitates a set of actions with ease. This conditions our behaviors and constrains us to the paradigm
Like Snapchat is an institution, and their paradigm is temporary 10 second snaps of your life that you share with friends
Within this paradigm many people have gotten creative
Filters. The way they tell stories. Etc. but it’s constrained to the very paradigm
So, i argue it really suppresses creativity in a big way
And as more and more aspects of our life become automated, we’ll be more and more constrained about the way we think and approach the world
Is this a fair assessment?
Or am I not being charitable enough?
I always want to preface these critiques that I suppose the development of automation tech and I’m thrilled by its progress
I critique because I never want to be pacified by some novelty- be it technology or a person or a trend etc. There are limits to everything, and critiques aim to delineate those limits
Else we fall into the trap of ignorance or self-deception
William Dare 