Wendell Berry, “Why I am Not Going to Buy a Computer,”
Wendell Berry, Solving for Pattern
Margaret O’Mara, “The Church of Techno-Optimism,” New York Times Sept 29, 2019
“Why I am not Going to Buy a Computer” What do you think Wendell Berry’s friends mean when they say he “could greatly improve things by using a computer.” What do you think Berry would see as the definition of “improve things.” ? Do computers bring us closer to “peace, justice, ecological health, political honesty, family and community stability, good work” ? How would you evaluate Berry’s nine standards to evaluate a technology? If we were to come up with nine standards that characterize technology today, what would they be? What standards do you think Apple/Google/Amazon/Microsoft use when they develop technologies today? Do you think Berry’s nine standards represent a fundamental understanding of technology and how it works or a fundamental misunderstanding of technology? In what ways? Berry says America has a “technological fundamentalism,” that wishes “to monopolize a whole society.” What does he mean by this? Do you agree with him? Even if we don’t agree with him about computers, could we find a higher level of abstraction where we might agree more? If you had to come up with nine standards to evaluate a technology, what would they be?
Do you think we live within a technological fundamentalism? Imagine O’Mara and Berry talking. Would they agree?
“Solving for Pattern”
Although Berry is talking about agriculture, he states his approach could be used in other areas. Does this give you a different idea of Berry and innovation than the first essay. Can you see examples of how people have come up with poor solutions to problems? Can you think of an example of a good solution using Berry’s approach?
For some idea of how rapturous people can be about new technology, see the Apple Mac Launch video here.
Optional Reading on Wendell Berry
Amanda, Petrusich, “Going Home with Wendell Berry,” New Yorker, July 14, 2019
Jedediah Britton-Purdy, “A Shared Place,” The Nation, September 23, 2019