Re: Rejecting modernity through the computer
[Rod Dreher  02/27 12:45 PM]

That is a delicious irony, JPod. In fact, as I write in Chapter 2 (pp. 29-30), “Besides, there’s something funny about a guy tapping out a philippic against materialism on a state-of-the-art laptop computer.” I don’t think any of us here reject technology out of hand. What we — or at least I — reject is the largely uncritical view of technology that Americans have. Technology is not the root of all evil. What we have to be aware of, though, is how we use that technology, and whether or not it brings us closer to or drives us farther from the ideal of virtue. We all know the myriad ways the Internet, for example, is destructive of virtue. But it is also the case that it allows men and women of conservative sensibilities to meet each other, and form communities, even marriage bonds. The Internet is allowing more and more people to work from home, and be more available to their spouses and children. It’s allowing for home businesses too. I can foresee it leading to the repopulation of small towns by people who don’t have to be in the city or the suburbs for the things they need.