37 min
24: The Joy of Good Burdens, with Albert Borgmann The JOMOcast with Christina Crook
-
- Society & Culture
Born in Germany in 1937, technology philosopher Albert Borgmann has seen technological transitions and upheavals unknown to many listening to this podcast. Throughout his long life, he’s studied and written about the impact of technological advancement on every aspect of the societies that have evolved around him, especially the often-unseen second-order effects of tech that ostensibly improves life, such as the reduced need and incentive for families to spend time close together in a home after the advent of central heating.Dr. Borgmann joins the JOMOcast to discuss the cost-benefit analysis of technology’s ability to lift our burdens, and why good burdens are vital to preserve if we want to live intentionally and remain able to access joy.Key Takeaways:The lifting of every burden by technology comes with an associated costGood burdens are those for which we are rewarded with joy for successfully carrying or negotiating them; if we eliminate good burdens, an avenue to joy is lostAny mediating technology that brings human interaction further from direct personal engagement is diminishing or eliminating the value and benefit of such interactionOur ability to communicate clearly, understand, process, and remember information is measurably impaired by reliance on mediating technology to perform these tasks for us.Favorite Quotes:“Information is like junk food- it’s everywhere, it’s so tempting, and we’re getting so used to it.”“The world pre-internet seemed to be more articulate and more eloquent… so I think the task today is to try to recover that articulation of reality and its eloquence.”“These focuses that we value need to be sustained by a practice, and the practice should be communal… that’s the good life.”“Joy is the other side of burden.”Support:This podcast is made possible by you — our listeners all over the world — from Brazil to Australia, the USA to Singapore. Please support the JOMO(cast) for just $3 a month. Sign up at patreon.com/jomocast.Go Deeper:Sign Up for 7 Days of JOMO Quests, a free series of science-backed challenges to reclaim joy: experiencejomo.com/free-resources. Follow @experiencejomo on Instagram, Facebook + Twitter. Resources:Interview with Albert Borgmann, 2010 (Figure/Ground)Albert’s books:Crossing The Postmodern Divide (2013)Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life: A Philosophical Inquiry (2008)Power Failure: Christianity in the Culture of Technology (2003)Holding Onto Reality: The Nature of Information at the Turn of the Millennium (2007)Real American Ethics: Taking Responsibility For Our Country (2010)The Philosophy of Language: Historical Foundations and Contemporary Issues (2012)An essay on Borgmann’s focal practices, “Focal Things,” 2012 (Vertas Liberabit)“Technology and the Inadequacy of Values Talk,” a discussion of Borgmann’s book Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life: A Philosophical Inquiry, 2019 (L.M. Sacasas)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Born in Germany in 1937, technology philosopher Albert Borgmann has seen technological transitions and upheavals unknown to many listening to this podcast. Throughout his long life, he’s studied and written about the impact of technological advancement on every aspect of the societies that have evolved around him, especially the often-unseen second-order effects of tech that ostensibly improves life, such as the reduced need and incentive for families to spend time close together in a home after the advent of central heating.Dr. Borgmann joins the JOMOcast to discuss the cost-benefit analysis of technology’s ability to lift our burdens, and why good burdens are vital to preserve if we want to live intentionally and remain able to access joy.Key Takeaways:The lifting of every burden by technology comes with an associated costGood burdens are those for which we are rewarded with joy for successfully carrying or negotiating them; if we eliminate good burdens, an avenue to joy is lostAny mediating technology that brings human interaction further from direct personal engagement is diminishing or eliminating the value and benefit of such interactionOur ability to communicate clearly, understand, process, and remember information is measurably impaired by reliance on mediating technology to perform these tasks for us.Favorite Quotes:“Information is like junk food- it’s everywhere, it’s so tempting, and we’re getting so used to it.”“The world pre-internet seemed to be more articulate and more eloquent… so I think the task today is to try to recover that articulation of reality and its eloquence.”“These focuses that we value need to be sustained by a practice, and the practice should be communal… that’s the good life.”“Joy is the other side of burden.”Support:This podcast is made possible by you — our listeners all over the world — from Brazil to Australia, the USA to Singapore. Please support the JOMO(cast) for just $3 a month. Sign up at patreon.com/jomocast.Go Deeper:Sign Up for 7 Days of JOMO Quests, a free series of science-backed challenges to reclaim joy: experiencejomo.com/free-resources. Follow @experiencejomo on Instagram, Facebook + Twitter. Resources:Interview with Albert Borgmann, 2010 (Figure/Ground)Albert’s books:Crossing The Postmodern Divide (2013)Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life: A Philosophical Inquiry (2008)Power Failure: Christianity in the Culture of Technology (2003)Holding Onto Reality: The Nature of Information at the Turn of the Millennium (2007)Real American Ethics: Taking Responsibility For Our Country (2010)The Philosophy of Language: Historical Foundations and Contemporary Issues (2012)An essay on Borgmann’s focal practices, “Focal Things,” 2012 (Vertas Liberabit)“Technology and the Inadequacy of Values Talk,” a discussion of Borgmann’s book Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life: A Philosophical Inquiry, 2019 (L.M. Sacasas)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
37 min