That the poor are invisible is one of the most important things about them. They are not simply neglected and forgotten as in the old rhetoric of reform; what is much worse, they are not seen.
Michael HarringtonRead
If there is technological advance without social advance, there is, almost automatically, an increase in human misery.
Interpretation
Technological progress must be accompanied by social progress, or it can lead to increased suffering.
This quote by Michael Harrington emphasizes the importance of balancing technological advancements with social improvements. It suggests that if technology progresses without addressing social issues, such as inequality and poverty, it can exacerbate human suffering rather than alleviate it, leading to a society where only a few benefit from advancements while others are left behind.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of ethics in technology, you could quote Harrington to highlight the need for social considerations.
That the poor are invisible is one of the most important things about them. They are not simply neglected and forgotten as in the old rhetoric of reform; what is much worse, they are not seen.
Revolutionary products don't fail because they are shipped too early. They fail because they aren't revised fast enough.
Technology... the knack of so arranging the world that we don't have to experience it.
The Internet's abundance - of information, goods, tastes and sources of authority - creates unparalleled opportunities for individuals to get exactly what they want. But this plenitude threatens political and cultural authorities who believe in telling individuals what they can have rather than letting them choose for themselves.
I would say that nanotech's worth paying attention to no matter what your background because if you look far enough into the future, it'll impact just about any industry you can think of.
Our intuition about the future is linear. But the reality of information technology is exponential, and that makes a profound difference. If I take 30 steps linearly, I get to 30. If I take 30 steps exponentially, I get to a billion.
Run for your lives-the computers are invading. Awesomely powerful computers tackling ever more important tasks with awkward, old-fashioned interfaces. As these machines leak into every corner of our lives, they will annoy us, infuriate us, and even kill a few of us. In turn, we will be tempted to kill our computers, but we won't dare because we are already utterly, irreversibly dependent on these hopeful monsters that make modern life possible.
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