Technology creates abstraction. The more complex the technology the more layers it places between the person and the real world.
A spade is a very simple technology for moving soil. In contrast, a digger is more complex, and is far more effective at moving dirt than the spade. This makes the digger user more abstracted from the physical experience of digging than the person with the spade.
Rather than using their whole body to move the soil, one spadesful at a time, the digger is manipulated by the hands. The body sits unmoved on the seat of the digger. Their muscles do not have to work as much as the person with the spade. So in this example, the spade is less of an abstraction compared to the digger.
Another example of abstraction is found in cooking. Before the international supply chains, people cooked seasonally. Now, they don’t have to worry about whether they can get fresh strawberries in the Winter or not. Seasonal cooking is in line with the cycles of the natural world, but modern cooking (which relies on the technology associated with the international supply chains) is out of touch with the seasons and therefore is more abstracted.
As human cultures rely more and more on technology, they become less connected with the real world. Globally, cultures are interacting more online than offline, and therefore becoming more abstracted. They are connecting online and disconnecting from reality, creating a culture of isolation, alienation and feelings of separation.
Nowadays, many people don’t live on streets anymore, but online, physically unconnected with local communities.
Anglo-Futurism recognises that technology should be grounded, as much as possible, in the real world. Otherwise, levels of abstraction can multiply, leading to unreal experiences, which then causes both mental and physical health issues.
Technology which helps to improve the experience of physically living in a locality should be encouraged. This will bring communities together and improve the health of the culture.
The Anglo-Futurism mantra of ‘To The Stars’ is an abstract concept which relies heavily on technology. But it is aware that to achieve this goal, it needs to be rooted in the real physical world as much as possible. And to achieve this, it encourages strong and stable local communities, so we can have strong and stable colonies on inhospitable extraterrestrial worlds.
Local is the way to go! I’m starting to be evangelical about this.
What about the argument that we are natural beings, even animals, and we are simply manipulating our environment by doing these things, like a competent intelligent species should?