The Terrifying Darkness of Technology

To The Swarthmorean,

I have always felt an antipathy to technology, and was clearly born in the wrong century. Seldom a day goes by when I do not feel the violence of the technical world, an almost visceral terrifying darkness. The latest affront occurred while trying to register online with CVS for a rapid covid test required for an upcoming trip to Toronto. The amount of information required seemed excessive, and I stalled out when I was asked to upload a photo of my health insurance card. I suppose this seems like nothing to most, but at age 76 with a flip phone, it was a maneuver beyond my comprehension. 

Canadian philosopher George Grant wrote about the destructive imperatives of technology, and how if we are attentive it gives us “intimations of our deprivals.” Even though I am a devout atheist I find a line by poet Franz Wright strangely comforting: “the great gold wheel of God’s eternal day.”

Allan Irving
Swarthmore