"Back to the Basics" (Technopoly pgs. 91-199)

Neil Postman's theories about the way technology and culture collide and coexist together seem to put into perspective the significance of how technology really does affect our culture (in a good way, but also in a bad way). Medical technology, for example, has come such a long way since the invention of the stethoscope. Medicine relies on technology because machines are inevitably more reliable in diagnosing a problem with a human condition than a human is. "Machines eliminate complexity, doubt, and ambiguity," (93). The human mind is constantly at war with these emotions, which ultimately limit our power of knowing the true medical facts and outcomes about a patient. "What the patient knows is untrustworthy; what the machine knows is reliable," (100). Therefore, according to Postman, medicine has always relied on technology, and it seems that it always will.
Postman also brings up the point of how technology affects the human experience. "The computer claims sovereignty over the whole range of human experience, and supports its claim by showing that it 'thinks' better than we can," (111). Is this true? Can computers really "think" better than we can. Some may say so, but without the intellect of the human mind, computers would have never existed inthe first place. Postman uses the metaphor of human as machines and machines as humans (117) to signify the fact we use the same terminology for the human sickness as we do for the computer "sickness." When we say our computer has a "virus," we are ultimately using a human medical term to describe a malfunction of a computer. This, according to Postman, has serious limitations.
The hidden technologies of our world, such as language, also effects us culturally. Language is essentially who we are. It gives us an indentity as individuals and defines where we are located and how we exist with other people in a socially and culturually changing world. Postman says it is an important factor when considering the effects of technology. "Because it comes from inside us, we believe it to be a direct, unedited, unbiased, apolitical expression of how the world really is," (125). He relates to actual machines, which are outside of us, tangeable and modifiable. He is saying that language is a hidden technology that cannot be screwed with, while computers and machines can constantly be modified to fit the needs of the human race.
From medical machines, to the importance of language; from how a question is answered, to the facts about scientism and the world of Technopoly, Postman brings his argument to a close by stating that we need to go 'back to the basics' in order to achieve a future of success and development within the world. The importance of artistic expression and the significance of history all play a role in how we develop and think about the world. We as humans must dust off our books, step away from the computer screen and really consider what is going on in the world without being attached to a machine that is (according to myself) not really more intelligent than the human mind. I agree with Postman's theories and ideas because he is calculating (no pun intended) the methods of how technology is a positive and negative factor within our world. It has done so much good for us, yet has taken away the essence of the natural world and put all of us into cyberspace and virtual realities. We are so dependent upon the technologies that have been generated over the years. Every profession, except for perhaps teachers, are now 100% relying on computers and machines to get the job done. I exclude teachers because they are the educators of the world, and without education, the other careers don't have a chance. It is amazing to realize the scope of how technology has affected us and where it will possibly go in the next 100 years.