The Challenge of Life

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Maintaining humanity in an accelerating world is our challenge, but we can't stop the pace of technology. Instead, we must find ways to limit its impact, such as taking part in a 'technological Sabbath' or limiting our interaction with technology like the Amish. Some will embrace it, and that's okay. Leisure, as described by Joseph Peeper, is essential for culture, and it means being open to the world and its gifts. This receptivity is the basis of human life.

In the early 1900s, the philosopher Henry Adams expressed concern about the rapid rate of social change ushered in by new technologies, from the railways to the telegraph and ultimately airplanes. If we transpose Adams's concerns onto the power of artificial intelligence--a power whose rate of acceleration would have exceeded his wildest dreams--you might feel a bit uneasy. Listen as philosopher Jacob Howland of UATX speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about why too much leisure is at best a mixed blessing, and how technology can lead to intellectual atrophy. They also speak about the role of AI in education and its implications for that most human of traits: curiosity. Finally, they discuss Howland's biggest concern when it comes to outsourcing our tasks, and our thinking, to machines: that we'll ultimately end up surrendering our own liberty.