> From novels in the 18th century to the bicycle in the 19th and through comic books, rock and roll, marijuana, and violent video games in the 20th century, there are always those who ring alarms, and there are always those who are skeptics of those alarms. So far, the skeptics have been right more often than not
Do we really know that, though? Maybe teens actually were better off before novels and bicycles and rock and roll in some ways? You know, spending more time outdoors, with their families, etc.
Or maybe it's just about time scales. When a new, socially disruptive invention arrives, and it does not fit in the structures of the society, it causes mental illness. But as time goes on and the cultural norms adapt to the new invention, it stops causing mental illnesses.
Alcohol is almost universally available, but it causes different amount of problems (both mental and physical) in different social contexts. In communities where it was recently introduced, it often causes loads of damage since the culture doesn't have rules and norms to prevent overuse of it. As a culture gets more used to alcohol, rules and norms (such as "don't drink alcohol before noon" or "don't go to work drunk") are developed and the harms are reined in.
One thing I think that can be said for sure is that we shouldn't fuck with extremely complex systems like our society just for fun. All changes should be phased in gradually rather than suddenly released into the wild.
Do we really know that, though? Maybe teens actually were better off before novels and bicycles and rock and roll in some ways? You know, spending more time outdoors, with their families, etc.
Or maybe it's just about time scales. When a new, socially disruptive invention arrives, and it does not fit in the structures of the society, it causes mental illness. But as time goes on and the cultural norms adapt to the new invention, it stops causing mental illnesses.
Alcohol is almost universally available, but it causes different amount of problems (both mental and physical) in different social contexts. In communities where it was recently introduced, it often causes loads of damage since the culture doesn't have rules and norms to prevent overuse of it. As a culture gets more used to alcohol, rules and norms (such as "don't drink alcohol before noon" or "don't go to work drunk") are developed and the harms are reined in.
One thing I think that can be said for sure is that we shouldn't fuck with extremely complex systems like our society just for fun. All changes should be phased in gradually rather than suddenly released into the wild.