In 2014, the late Jerry Mander (author of 1978's Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television and 1984's In the Absence of the Sacred) organized "Techno-Utopianism & the Fate of the Earth," a teach-in at Cooper Union in New York City. In his opening remarks, Jerry recommended eight attitudes about technology. They're still totally relevant.
Anyone considering a newer car, a newer fridge, a solar PV system, a smartphone, a newer computer or a house would do well to apply these attitudes. (Actually, if you're set to buy a house or anything else that would put you in debt first watch "The Great Taking" with David Rogers Webb.)
Any municipality faced with permitting infrastructure like a new substation and power lines, smart meters, a large-scale solar facility, a battery energy storage system (BESS), 5G, a data storage center or a mandate to sell increasing numbers of electric vehicles should apply them, too.
With much appreciated permission from Koohan Paik-Mander, Jerry's widow, here are his eight attitudes:
#1 The precautionary principle
Since nearly all of what we are told about technology comes from its proponents, be deeply skeptical of all the claims. What's been left out of the story? We can no longer assume that new technology is innocent until proven guilty. The opposite should be the case guilty until proven innocent. That's the precautionary principle. It must be codified.
#2 Never judge technology by the way it benefits you personally.
Always seek a holistic view of a technology's impacts on nature, on resources, on people, on the future. The operative question is not whether it benefits you, but who benefits most and to what ends, and with what consequences?
#3 Get rid of the idea that all technology is 'neutral,' that it can be used for good or bad.
Every technology has inherent, identifiable social, political, cultural, and environmental consequences. Langdon Winner calls it Autonomous Technology. If society accepts automobiles, you get roads covering land, oil development and so on. There is no way around that. The idea that technology is neutral is itself not neutral. It ignores intrinsic dangers and puts blame solely on users.
#4 Remember that individual technologies are only one piece of a larger web of integrated technologies mega-technology.
Every technology builds on the scaffolding of prior tech invention. Your cell phone may seem harmless, but for that little bit of radiation, but for the lithium in the batteries resulting from years of horrible mining practices on indigenous land. Don't ignore the infrastructure it requires.
#5 Distinguish between technologies that primarily serve the small community, like local solar and small-scale farming, and those that inherently operate on a large scale, like nuclear fossil fuels and monocrops.
Always favor the former.
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