• Sigerson (12/18/2012)


    I don't think Bill Nicolich intended to redefine the word technology as much as point out that making technology is what humans do, and limiting the definition of the word to mean only whiz-bang hardware is to limit our views of what it means to be human. In that context (and speaking anthropologically) I think it's a very interesting slant on things to see our human events, rituals, holidays, etc. as just another category of technologies.

    A pocket knife is a survival tool and surely counts as technology. But think of how many human societies have some sort of midwinter festival or ritual or whatever, many of them involving lights or candles or bonfires to symbolize the coming return of the sun. It's pretty clear that these rituals play some positive role in helping those cultures survive.

    That fits the anthropological definition of a technology well enough for me.

    I don't see the need to call technology a ritual, or a ritual technology. Clearly the interaction between the two could be interesting, heck I bet people resort to ritual like behavior in their interactions with technology. I don't have a problem with a pocket knife being called an example of technology. You guys can honestly go with this, we should all honor everyones personal dreams and aspirations, I just don't see the need, especially in fuzzing up otherwise well defined terminologies.

    What happens if my computer dies? Do I ask somebody to fix my ritual? Or maybe I call the hergulflufleluf and get a replacement hoogamypratzlewazzer? I mean c'mon, this is a tech forum. Are we really going to redefine things on the fly now? "I'll write this query," if by saying "write this query" you mean "take the rest of the day off".

    LOL ok now I'm just having a bit of fun, really, Bill is welcome to post what he wants.