Thinking aloud
Jul. 7th, 2015 09:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
timeletsBoth the steam engine and the Pill are major innovations. Arguably, the steam engine had a major economic effect on the entire human society. One can even argue that the factory (another major invention) powered by steam engines led to the emergence of the mass society. Similarly, the Pill has also produced a major social change, including the totally unexpected legalization of gay marriage.
Nevertheless, there's at least one key difference between the steam engine and the Pill: the intentional aspect behind the innovation. That is, the steam engine is meaningless. It is not intended to change relationships between people. The same goes for the airplane, the IC, the iPhone, and Aspirin.
On the other hand, the Pill was created with an explicit intention to change relationships between people. It was meaningful from the beginning. If I take this perspective social networking is also meaningful. But then I start asking myself: what about the telephone, the radio, the television, etc.? Are they meaningful? Sure. What's the difference then? I don't know, although I feel that there's an important distinction buried somewhere here.
Nevertheless, there's at least one key difference between the steam engine and the Pill: the intentional aspect behind the innovation. That is, the steam engine is meaningless. It is not intended to change relationships between people. The same goes for the airplane, the IC, the iPhone, and Aspirin.
On the other hand, the Pill was created with an explicit intention to change relationships between people. It was meaningful from the beginning. If I take this perspective social networking is also meaningful. But then I start asking myself: what about the telephone, the radio, the television, etc.? Are they meaningful? Sure. What's the difference then? I don't know, although I feel that there's an important distinction buried somewhere here.
