From medieval monks who banned tools to weavers burning looms in the 17th century, people have long resisted technologies that they thought would take their jobs or otherwise hurt them. More recently, there has been a wave of resignations at frontier artificial intelligence companies, and opposition to data centers. What do past resistances have in common with current movements?
In his new book, T...
The narrative presented here – a cyclical pattern of technological resistance – operates on a fundamental tension: the promise of technological advancement versus its perceived threat to human meaning and agency. This isn't simply “techno-phobia,” but a sophisticated defense against a future where human experience is reduced to a data stream optimized for efficiency. The article's reliance on historical examples – from monastic bans to 17th-century weavers – powerfully establishes this pattern,...