tanteFeb 19

"Part of the reason I made a hard leftwing turn was because I was burned by my own techno-optimism. I am part of a generation that believed it could change the world, and then was taught a harsh lesson about money and power."

(Original title: The Left Doesn't Hate Technology, We Hate Being Exploited)

https://aftermath.site/anthropic-claude-ai-leftist-technology/

The Left Doesn't Hate Technology, We Hate Being Exploited

Techno-cynics are all just wounded techno-optimists.

Aftermath
Show threadWeekend EditorFeb 20

@tante

As I told younger folks when I was a mentor:

When I was young, I wanted to change the world for the better.

Now that I'm old, I understand how *resistant* the world is to being changed for the better.

Show threadJohanna Janiszewski
@weekend_editor @tante I wanted to change the world for better too. Now I've settled for fighting against changing it for the worse.
Feb 20 at 2:33pmWeb
Show threadWeekend EditorFeb 20

@JohannaMakesGames @tante

You've made a very decent accommodation to reality there.

I used to add something like, "The fact that it's *hard* doesn't mean you are excused from *trying*."

As it says in the Talmud (Pirkei Avot 2:16):

"It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it"

https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.2.16

Pirkei Avot 2:16 | Sefaria Library

He [Rabbi Tarfon] used to say: It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it; If you have studied much Torah, you shall...