The Luddite's Guide to Technology
CJS Hayward
Amazon Kindle
c/o Amazon Digital Publishing
ASIN: B008GKWNHY $2.99 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008GKWNHY
CreateSpace (hard copy)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1478184914
9781478184911 $19.99 https://www.createspace.com/3927883
The Luddite's Guide to Technology represents the collected works of CJS Hayward, and is especially recommended for any who have either not read Hayward before, or have had singular or limited access to his writings. It's a gathering of reflections on how technology and science can not only intrigue and involve people, but absorb them to the point that the barriers between humanity and technology become blurred.
There are numerous essays here, from a reflection on technology and faith in 'Religion and Science Is Not Just Intelligent Design vs. Evolution' to 'Plato: The Allegory of...the Flickering Screen', which connects ancient philosophy to modern screen-oriented approaches to life.
Essay titles are contemporary and catchy ('Veni, Vidi, Vomi: A Look at, "Do You Want to Date My Avatar"?' and the title piece 'The Luddite's Guide to Technology') and invite readers to understand the fine line between Biblical and spiritual approaches and technological perspectives.
The author is himself an IT pro, so his approach isn't anti-science; but rather represents a modified view of the perils and potentials of technology and the user's role and experience in handling it: "...I haven't laid the reins on the horse's neck. I only use a well-chosen fragment of my iPhone's capabilities, and I try not to use it too much: I like to be able to use the web without speed being much of an issue, but I'm not on the web all the time. And I have never thought 'My wheels are my freedom;' I try to drive insofar as it advances some particular goal."
As the essays unfold, readers comes to realize that the author is in fact advocating a kind of detachment - and stepping back - from the potentials of technology in order to regain social and spiritual perspectives and values that don't always lie on screen.
From amassing wealth in the face of poverty to what happens when the desire for technology's benefits supersedes and changes the structure and beliefs of religion itself, The Luddite's Guide to Technology identifies widespread and dangerous trends in the worship of technology - and offers Hayward's own clues on how to effect personal, spiritual and social change to counter these trends.
What keeps these writings engrossing and charged is Hayward's vivid language and descriptive choices: "The marketing proposition of texting is an intravenous drip of noise. IM's are similar, if not always as mobile as cell phones, and email is a weaker form of the drug that youth are abandoning for a stronger version."
There are solid political insights as well: "But for all of these things, GPSes, as well as cell phones in general, provide one more means for Big Brother (and possibly more than one Big Brother) to know exactly where you go, when you go there, what the patterns are, and other things where Big Brother will keep closer tabs on your whereabouts and activities than your spouse or parent."
And lest you think these reflections to be solely intellectual or spiritual in nature, the topics offer a surprising range of applications; from surveys of the changing hospitality industry and heating and air conditioning world to business ("There are a number of technologies whose marketing proposition is as a noise delivery system.")
Expect a wide-ranging series of discussions that link technology to values, social and spiritual issues, politics and business, and the changing value in everyday life. Also expect an incredibly lively read, drawing on Orthodoxy and spiced with Hayward's astute observations of worlds modern and past and his own interconnectedness with technology and religious values.
The Luddite's Guide to Technology should be in the hands of any who want to re-consider their use of and approaches to technology in a changing world, and is a top recommendation.
Diane Donovan
Senior Reviewer
[The Midwest Book Review]