Tuesday, August 23, 2011

machines of loving Grace

I finished the first episode of Adam Curtis's "All Watched Over by machines of loving grace" documentary last night.  I am a big fan of Curtis's other work, he is a person I would love to meet and talk with.  His work reminds me of Burke's connections and the day the universe changed.  While I loved "The Trap" and "Century of Self"  I am not as captivated by this work.  The Trap had an electrifying metal stimulation to it, but Machines of loving Grace makes very interesting points.  I am hoping a more connected response to the second episode.

Much of the material in the first episode "Love and Power" is financial and Randian.  I am not interested in finance much to my bank accounts dismay and I am often leery of Rand.  As a Rush I have heard about Rand for years, 2112 is a retelling of Anthem.  Her ideas are oddly dangerous in their presentation, but not for the reasons many expect.  The idea of the secret club of doers who actually moves the world seems to appeal to many the wrong person.  Most upper managers I have know love that shit, when they have never thought up or build anything.

The Randian hero isn't Steve Job it isn't even Waz, its both of them as one.  And over time of getting away from doing, dreams and money even a Randian hero ceases. 

To get into my own philosophical and political leanings, they would be called chaotic at best.  I like self action without controls being put in place.  I down right hate a big group of people telling the individual what to do.  I always see the one as superior to the group as the act of grouping destroys self.

As such the ideas of the Californian ideology and Objectivism are appealing to me.  But you can see machinism as a folly, computers are not yet smarter than the people that program.  And the thought of feedback presented in the show seems more an attempt to catch a ghost in the machine.


 Additional.  I have seen the second episode and I found it much more to my liking.  I would love to watch the third episode the money in the machine and the machine in the monkey but I can not find it.  If you can point me in the right direction it would be great. 


Jim Rickel
 

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