Re: Technology

[richard <richard_al@compuserve.com>]

       Interesting mail indeed.
 Don't agree with John.
 Have read Ortega y Gasset and never heard about Panikkar.
 Not so pessimistic about the destruction of an whole culture
 but the Latin America is full of anti example. So take a little one.
 In France, coca never took place of traditionnal beverages such as
 pastis, ricard, anisette, kirsh, poire Williams etc..., the same for
 mcdo. In Mexico, even in Mexico Ciudad, the indian culture is still
 present, even in the Zona Rosa. Hinduism, Bouddhism, Tao etc... are
powerfull
 spiritual "forces". Now Descartes. We ALL use to schematise him and
 say it's rationality. D was a partisan of god, but fought, as the
 following Voltaire, Diderot, Frederic of Prussia ... against the too
 big influence of the clergy and false values. For this, he was banished. 
 Put a parallel between EJ and D is not a simple provocation.
 Say D = science is a quite big mistake.
 Perhaps now D would be a clergyman ??? 
 richard
 una informatica humanista 

Lluerna Cultural wrote:
> 
> Reading this weekend " La nova innocència" by Raimon Panikkar. Panikkar
is
> an old spanish - hindu philosopher who has lived more than 30 years in
> India and taught at Harvard for more than 20 years. Has published dozens
of
> books dealing with intercultural dialogue and the " interregnum" we are
> living now. In this book an article that sure will interest the
Jünguerites
> is " El tecnocentrisme" that deals with technology. His thesis is
>Technology is the fruit of a determinate culture, the western culture.
>Technology is not neutral, therefore the universalization of technology
>will suppose the destruction of the other cultures. If these countries
want
>to have western technology, they will have to lose their own culture,
their
>own cosmovision. The technology also means an important change of our own
>world, it requires the retreat of Gods  ...