Re: <nettime> Post-digital

["Griffis, Ryan" <ryan.griffis@gmail.com>]

This discussion, especially related to questions of "mindful
disconnection," recalls Sigfried Giedion's 1948 "anonymous history,"
"Mechanization Takes Command."

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=acls;idno=heb01139

As he put it:

"Never has mankind possessed so many instruments for abolishing
slavery. But the promises of a better life have not been kept. All we
have to show so far is a rather disquieting inability to organize the
world, or even to organize ourselves."

Of course, the idea that any instruments have the potential to abolish
slavery has to be read against Eric's statement: "Whatever technology
and/or social process that can be used to strengthen the interests of
strategic power, will be used to strengthen the interests of strategic
power."

Nonetheless, I found it a very useful historical analysis to consider
alongside these discussions.

Best,
ryan




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