Kevin Kelly, author of What Technology Wants

What Technology Wants, by Kevin Kelly,states that technology is like life—increasingly complex, diverse and seeking its own way.

Technology gives us more choices, more solutions and more freedom. But Kevin also cautions that technology is both our slave and our master. We have to treat technology just as we would treat children—move them to the best place possible for them to succeed.

Technology, or the Technium as Kevin calls it, is a combination of the arts, social norms and a connecting band. In other words, it’s like an ecology. And, just as a plant will move towards the light in nature, technology will find its own way in the world.

Overall, technology is good, according to Kevin. This was a new idea for me because I’d always viewed technology as neutral. For example, an airplane can be good or evil. It can be used to transport people to visit their families or it can be used to bomb people. The value judgment is in the application of the technology. Kevin points out, however, that because technology gives us the choice of how to use the technology, it tips the scale more towards good than evil.

For the record, Kevin says this will be his last printed book. He’s moving to digital books. He says, “he’s going where the attention is.” That’s towards digital books and away from “dead trees.”

Listen to this thought-provoking interview below: