The Neo-Luddites

Module 3 Section 5 1

Neo-Luddites

• People who oppose all technological progress • Views are tied to particular way of life for people • Burned factories in response to industrial revolution 2

Specific Criticisms – Computers…

• Cause massive unemployment and deskilling of jobs • Manufacture needs instead of fulfilling them • Cause social inequity and disintegration • Separate humans from nature • Destroy the environment • Are dehumanizing – lead to isolation 3

Specific Criticisms – Computers…

• Benefit big business • Benefit government • When used in schools will thwart development of social skills, human values, intellectual skills • Do little to solve real human problems 4

Luddites and Other Negative Views • Capitalism • Business • Markets • Consumer products • Factories • Other modern forms of work • Clocks 5

Are the Luddites Alone?

• Many have negative views of computers and the associated technologies 6

New Luddites http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~socs203/luddites.htm

Definition & links http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~mryder/itc_data/luddite .html

History http://www.gober.net/victorian/reports/luddites.html

Lessons from the Luddites http://www.io.com/~wazmo/luddite.html

Article http://www.well.com/user/futrelle/unabom.html

Research http://www.cs.swt.edu/~donshafer/web_biblios/ludd ites.htm

Example http://www.post gazette.com/regionstate/19991018luddites1.asp

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