213: Tools, Totems, and Totalities with Dr. Allen Batteau

What We Talk About:

Why “technology” means more than just tools

The role of totems in identity (think: cars, smartphones, fashion tech)

How totalities define entire systems in education and society

The enchantment of technology—and how it competes with human connection

AI as artificial “ignorance” and the narrowing of imagination

The lost art of boredom and its role in creativity

What convivial design looks like in daily life (yes, the family dinner table!)

Practical takeaways for teachers, parents, and anyone seeking digital balance

Key Takeaway:
This episode is a reminder to educators and humans alike: if we want deeper learning, richer relationships, and authentic joy, we must intentionally create space for boredom, presence, and human connection.

• Technology is more than tools as it also shapes identity and entire systems.
• Conviviality (connection and community) is a powerful counterforce to tech hegemony.
• Educators should challenge assumptions that students are digital natives.
• We must create space for boredom, listening, and authentic face-to-face human interaction.
• AI may reduce imagination by boxing in our thinking and we must stay aware of its limitations.
• Reflection and reconnection found as time around a dinner table or time in nature can reset our human values.

Buy the book Tools, Totems, and Totalities and explore the deeper social and cultural dimensions of technology.
Reach out to Dr. Batteau at a.batteau@wayne.edu for further conversation.

 

Dr. Allen Batteau Bio:

Allen W. Batteau, PhD is a cultural anthropologist, professor at Wayne State University's Department of Anthropology, and former director of the University's Institute for Information Technology and Culture. He is the author of The Anthropology of Aviation and Flight Safety (2001), Anthropological Approaches to Culture, Aviation, and Flight Safety (2002, and numerous other books and articles including Technology and the Common Good in a Democratic Society (2020). A certified private pilot, his research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the US Air Force, the National Aeronautics and Space Ad-ministration, and numerous other corporate and international bodies. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.