I have been thinking a lot recently about the impact that technology has on our society.
I've read comments, here and elsewhere, that amount to "what a shame that our society is so technologically advanced but so cucked at the same time." These comments basically assume that there is no correlation between the two, and that it is pure coincidence that the West got cucked right around the same time it became technologically advanced. The more I think about it, the more I am becoming convinced that there is a direct correlation between technological advancement and the destruction of culture, family, and tradition. Furthermore, I believe there is nothing that can be done about this correlation. We might get Trump, and he will certainly make a difference in the short term (and even significantly slow down the decline), but he will not be able to completely reverse the decline. At the end of the day, I am becoming convinced that nothing in this world is free. No generation truly has it better than their forefathers. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and if the "action" is an improvement of our lives through technological advancement, then the "equal and opposite reaction" will be the decline of culture, tradition, and freedom.
I will give only a few examples, as not to make this post too long, but the basic principle applies to all forms of technology:
Modern medicine: Improves life expectancy and physical comfort for the sick, but in the long run reduces the quality of the gene pool. For example, kidney transplants (which I am very familiar with due to someone close to me that had one) save lives, but when these people with kidney failure reproduce, the next generation is more likely to have kidney failure, and so on. Additionally, modern medicine contributes to overpopulation (which is eventually a self-correcting problem, but affects the quality of our lives in the present).
Cars, planes, and all forms high-speed transportation: These things obviously improved our lives by allowing us to travel long distances in short periods of time. Modern tourism and modern immigration is only possible due to modern vehicles. However, modern vehicles make military and police forces far more powerful, making us less free than we once were, and making wars far more deadly. Due to this increased power, we become more dependent on police and governments, and less able to look out for ourselves without their help. Vehicles allow for mass immigration into foreign lands, causing all the problems associated with diversity. Additionally, vehicles make us lazy. Modern obesity rates would not be what they are if not for the invention of cars. Cars also cause cities to become automobile dependent. Here is a Wikipedia article on all the problems associated with automobile dependency:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile_dependency
Communiation and information technology (phones, computers, etc.): The ability to communicate over long distances and store information makes our lives easier in many obvious ways. We could not have this forum, among many other things we enjoy, if it were not for these technologies. However, the ability to communicate over long distances makes it easier for a centralized government to rule vast areas, with the central ruler able to coordinate his actions with his associates in remote parts of the country, or far away cities. Additionally, computers, which give us (among other things) the ability to store information indefinitely, contribute to our lack of freedom, privacy, and the power of governments in the modern world. Commit a petty crime when you were 18? It's on your record for life, and any employer can look it up. Get falsely arrested for "rape?" Anyone who Googles your name will find out. Want to serve in the military or work at a corporation? They won't let you if you've got anything on your record because they don't want to look bad. This leaves many young men with little direction in their lives. Additionally, our reliance on computers make us vulnerable to all kinds of cyber attacks.
Recreational drugs: Believe it or not, recreational drugs (as they exist today) are a technology. Prior to 100 years ago, we did not have all these hard drugs. There is a complicated production process involved with the hardest drugs (meth, heroin, cocaine, etc.). The benefits of this technology is that we have access to drugs that make us feel good in an instant, while the downsides are obvious (addiction, loss of direction and purpose in life, destruction of communities, etc.).
The reason I include recreational drugs on the list is because they are a technological advancement that everyone can agree has certain benefits, but everyone also agrees that the downsides outweigh the benefits. My argument is that this basic principle is true (although not as obvious) for all technological advancements. I do not think we would have feminism, rampant leftism, communism during the 20th century, high obesity rates, high divorce rates, and the rest of the problems we have today had it not been for the Industrial Revolution and modern technology.
I do realize that when it comes to military technology, we don't really have a choice. If we choose not to acquire the newest military technology, we would simply be conquered by those who do. However, that fact doesn't change my observations above.
I've read comments, here and elsewhere, that amount to "what a shame that our society is so technologically advanced but so cucked at the same time." These comments basically assume that there is no correlation between the two, and that it is pure coincidence that the West got cucked right around the same time it became technologically advanced. The more I think about it, the more I am becoming convinced that there is a direct correlation between technological advancement and the destruction of culture, family, and tradition. Furthermore, I believe there is nothing that can be done about this correlation. We might get Trump, and he will certainly make a difference in the short term (and even significantly slow down the decline), but he will not be able to completely reverse the decline. At the end of the day, I am becoming convinced that nothing in this world is free. No generation truly has it better than their forefathers. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and if the "action" is an improvement of our lives through technological advancement, then the "equal and opposite reaction" will be the decline of culture, tradition, and freedom.
I will give only a few examples, as not to make this post too long, but the basic principle applies to all forms of technology:
Modern medicine: Improves life expectancy and physical comfort for the sick, but in the long run reduces the quality of the gene pool. For example, kidney transplants (which I am very familiar with due to someone close to me that had one) save lives, but when these people with kidney failure reproduce, the next generation is more likely to have kidney failure, and so on. Additionally, modern medicine contributes to overpopulation (which is eventually a self-correcting problem, but affects the quality of our lives in the present).
Cars, planes, and all forms high-speed transportation: These things obviously improved our lives by allowing us to travel long distances in short periods of time. Modern tourism and modern immigration is only possible due to modern vehicles. However, modern vehicles make military and police forces far more powerful, making us less free than we once were, and making wars far more deadly. Due to this increased power, we become more dependent on police and governments, and less able to look out for ourselves without their help. Vehicles allow for mass immigration into foreign lands, causing all the problems associated with diversity. Additionally, vehicles make us lazy. Modern obesity rates would not be what they are if not for the invention of cars. Cars also cause cities to become automobile dependent. Here is a Wikipedia article on all the problems associated with automobile dependency:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile_dependency
Communiation and information technology (phones, computers, etc.): The ability to communicate over long distances and store information makes our lives easier in many obvious ways. We could not have this forum, among many other things we enjoy, if it were not for these technologies. However, the ability to communicate over long distances makes it easier for a centralized government to rule vast areas, with the central ruler able to coordinate his actions with his associates in remote parts of the country, or far away cities. Additionally, computers, which give us (among other things) the ability to store information indefinitely, contribute to our lack of freedom, privacy, and the power of governments in the modern world. Commit a petty crime when you were 18? It's on your record for life, and any employer can look it up. Get falsely arrested for "rape?" Anyone who Googles your name will find out. Want to serve in the military or work at a corporation? They won't let you if you've got anything on your record because they don't want to look bad. This leaves many young men with little direction in their lives. Additionally, our reliance on computers make us vulnerable to all kinds of cyber attacks.
Recreational drugs: Believe it or not, recreational drugs (as they exist today) are a technology. Prior to 100 years ago, we did not have all these hard drugs. There is a complicated production process involved with the hardest drugs (meth, heroin, cocaine, etc.). The benefits of this technology is that we have access to drugs that make us feel good in an instant, while the downsides are obvious (addiction, loss of direction and purpose in life, destruction of communities, etc.).
The reason I include recreational drugs on the list is because they are a technological advancement that everyone can agree has certain benefits, but everyone also agrees that the downsides outweigh the benefits. My argument is that this basic principle is true (although not as obvious) for all technological advancements. I do not think we would have feminism, rampant leftism, communism during the 20th century, high obesity rates, high divorce rates, and the rest of the problems we have today had it not been for the Industrial Revolution and modern technology.
I do realize that when it comes to military technology, we don't really have a choice. If we choose not to acquire the newest military technology, we would simply be conquered by those who do. However, that fact doesn't change my observations above.