Two questions to ask before adopting new technology
Movie poster for Modern Times, 1936. A silent film written, directed, and produced by Charlie Chaplin.
Technology can lead to human flourishing. In so many ways, the world is better today than it was 100 years ago.
Global poverty is falling. Hunger too.
Child labor is on the decline.
Life expectancy is up. And literacy.
Infant mortality and violent crime are down.
But not all technology is good.
We’ve created biological weapons.
And 9 countries have nuclear weapons. Destructive enough to kill millions of humans in seconds.
And for all it does to connect us in positive ways, social media has made it easier to spread hate. And disinformation.
Hollywood legend Charlie Chaplin recognized this in the 1930s.
He’s one of the most important figures in the history of film. And he did everything.
He wrote. Directed. Produced. And edited. And he starred in nearly all the films he created. He made 35 films from 1914 - 1952. And the first 30 were silent.
But technology advanced. And the gradual transition from silent films to “talkies” gained momentum in 1926.
By 1930, silent films were a thing of the past.
Almost.
Chaplin resisted.
Chaplin wasn’t convinced more technology was what the world needed. He worried it had a dehumanizing effect.
In 1936, Chaplin released another silent film, Modern Times. Long after the film industry had moved on. It’s a critique of technology and its impact on modern society. And it’s considered a masterpiece.
But Chaplin eventually gave in. His last 5 films were talkies. Including The Great Dictator, considered by many to be his other masterpiece.
Chaplin adopted the new talkie technology with skepticism. And reverence for what might be lost.
The Amish are skeptical of technology too. They don’t reject it altogether, but they don’t embrace it without careful consideration.
They start with pilots.
A few members of an Amish community adopt a technology first. And report on the experience before it’s rolled out more widely.
The Amish always ask two questions:
Will this technology strengthen my family?
Will this technology strengthen our community?
In The Great Dictator, Chaplin ends the film with a speech. Here are some excerpts from that 3 minute speech from 1936.
“We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little.
More than machinery, we need humanity.
More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness.
You, the people, have the power. The power to create machines. The power to create happiness.”
Technology can be harnessed for human flourishing.
We, the people, have the power. The power to create machines. The power to create happiness.
Given that power, maybe it’s good to be careful. And a bit skeptical.
When we’re considering welcoming new technology into our own lives, maybe we ought to ask the two Amish questions.
Will this technology strengthen my family?
Will this technology strengthen our community?
