Just read an article in The Atlantic by Kaveh Waddell entitled “The Information Revolution’s Dark Turn.” A thoughtful piece based on an interview with Scottish philosopher Alistair Duff. The article reminds me that, in this age where technology, especially information technology, dominates the world economy, we need the arts and philosophy more than ever.
We need artists, philosophers, ecologists and other deep thinkers to observe and articulate trends in society, pointing out the opportunities and pitfalls that lie in wait for the world, striking a balance between the mindless daily diet of horrors and disasters served by the media and the treacly reassurances spouted by politicians in search of votes. The two following sentences resonated with me and I’ve shared the text in italics below.
The ultimate value is not liberty: It is justice. Liberty has to fit within the context of social justice. And where it violates justice, I’m afraid justice trumps liberty.
The first thought that comes to my mind is: try telling that to the Donald. In his case, liberty (donald) trumps justice!
aviott 