The Legend of King Thamus
King Thamus was an ancient Egyptian King who felt that technology was not always such a good thing. When offered the gift of writing by the God Theuth, King Thamus said:
“Those who acquire it [writing] will cease to exercise their memory and become forgetful; they will rely on writing to bring things to their remembrance by external signs instead of their own internal resources. What you have discovered is a receipt for recollection, not for memory. And as for wisdom, your pupils will have the reputation for it without the reality: they will receive a quantity of information without proper instruction, and in consequence be thought very knowledgeable when they are for the most part quite ignorant. And because they are filled with the conceit of wisdom they will be a burden to society” (Plato in Postman, 1993: p4)
Do you agree? When is it a good idea to use technology? When is it a bad idea to use technology? Please post your thoughts.
“Those who acquire it [writing] will cease to exercise their memory and become forgetful; they will rely on writing to bring things to their remembrance by external signs instead of their own internal resources. What you have discovered is a receipt for recollection, not for memory. And as for wisdom, your pupils will have the reputation for it without the reality: they will receive a quantity of information without proper instruction, and in consequence be thought very knowledgeable when they are for the most part quite ignorant. And because they are filled with the conceit of wisdom they will be a burden to society” (Plato in Postman, 1993: p4)
Do you agree? When is it a good idea to use technology? When is it a bad idea to use technology? Please post your thoughts.
posted by Math Jarl | 12:39 PM
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