Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!rutgers!bellcore!faline!ulysses!mhuxt!ihnp4!occrsh!uokmax!sarobnet
From: sarobnet@uokmax.UUCP (Scott Alan Robnett)
Newsgroups: comp.society.futures
Subject: Knowledge Gap
Message-ID: <968@uokmax.UUCP>
Date: 14 Dec 87 17:07:41 GMT
References: <8712132230.AA10889@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Reply-To: sarobnet@uokmax.UUCP ()
Organization: University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK
Lines: 52
Keywords: knowledge, gap, technology, society


>	We all are familiar with the concept of a Generation Gap, or
>a Wealth Gap.  But I think that a more ominous concept creeping up on society
>is the idea of a Knowledge Gap of which one could say the Technology Gap
>is but a subset.

> who resist change.  Precursors to ill-fated movements are fear and mistrust
>and that is exactly what we have.  I find myself thinking more and more that
>there are two kinds of people emerging from the masses: those who understand
>technology and those who don't.  To put it more exactly: those who understand
>computers and those who don't.  These two groups are separating and one of
>them is growing in numbers, unfortunately it is the one that is more dangerous

>	I have these "visions" of mobs of people tearing down all that is
>technological and progressive.  All because of fear.  Maybe these visions
>are unfounded, but it seems to me that our society, whether by choice or ac-
>cident, is producing such pressures to conform, such pressures to please and
>entertain the lowest common denominator, that we have in our hands a Knowledge
>Gap among our society which is becoming, in my opinion, dangerous.

>have to TRY to stop thinking of ourselves alone and think of the future.
>Not the technological future, but the sociological future.  Society's
>pressures are so great that our children don't stand a chance.  WE do.
>=========================================================================
>Carlos Carrion, MS 301-250D, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA 91109
>.. cit-vax!elroy!jpl-devvax!jplpro!carlos
>=========================================================================

(sorry about the empty follow up....)
Interesting....   sounds sorta like Frank Herbert's _Dune_ science fiction 
series.  He writes of a Galactic Empire where computers were banned after
a holy war (the 'Butlerian Jihad') to rid the Galaxy of these vile mechanisms
that technological society had spawned.  I guess their rational was computers 
must be destroyed simply because they imitated the human mind.  (Sounded like
the Ayatollah & Company in Space to me...)  The result was a treaty that 
disallowed any computers to be made or used.  Herbert indicates that the
technocrats (the 'Ixians') just went underground ..oops! into hiding,
(kinda hard to go underground in space :-) and made machines that were 
on the borderline between what was allowed and what wasn't.  Sharp people 
became thinking machines ('mentats') to do the bookkeeping chores of the 
Galaxy.  
	Gee, I dunno, what with kids growing up with computers in school and
video games and VCR's and microwaves and etc. etc. ad infinitum; just who 
will be left in 40+ years (at least in this country) that will opose 
technology for technology's sake?  Or do you feel that a violent overthrow of 
technology is imminent?  
 _____________________________________________________________________________
|Disclaimer?  No, I don't disclaim |'I will not fear.  Fear | Scott Robnett   |
|anything I write. (But U of Ok has|is the little death that| EECS student    |
|nothing to do with it)            |brings total obliter-   | University of OK|
|                                  |ation' - Litany against Fear - _Dune_     |
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