A while ago, I don’t recall where, I heard someone mention that because the Industrial Revolution relieved a great deal of heavy labor for vast numbers of people, now we have 24/7 fitness centers so that people can maintain conditioning which was otherwise attained from more physical work. Similarly, because of little screens which allow us to look up everything nearly instantly, we don’t have to remember anything. Compound this with the revolution of A.I. and we may be on the verge of vast numbers of people who lack the ability to think. That would be seriously dangerous.
If Leo XIII had to face the impact of the Industrial Revolution, as he did with his 1891 encyclical Rerum novarum, Leo XIV is going to have to deal with the impact of the A.I. Revolution.
Frankly, this might be the most pressing issue of this pontificate.
The papal spokesman, Matteo Bruni, stated that Papa Prevost chose the name Leo precisely in reference to Leo XIII and his challenging revolution. Leo has already spoken about the impact of A.I. in producing a “throwaway culture”.
I found today an interesting piece by Uvencio Blanco on the Indian chess site, ChessBase. It is about the warning of a British reactionary feminist Mary Harrington. I looked about on the interwebs for her to get a sense of what she thinks. Reactionary feminism is, according to wiki:
Reactionary feminism is a conservative variant of feminism that emphasizes traditional gender roles, heteronormativity, and the family as solutions to women’s socio-economic challenges. The term originated in a 2021 article by the author Mary Harrington and was later expanded upon in her book Feminism Against Progress. Louise Perry has also been associated with reactionary feminism.
Reactionary feminists argue that progressive politics deny biologically based, evolutionarily determined differences between men and women. Many reactionary feminists are anti-abortion. They align with aspects of maternal feminism and reject the sexual revolution. Reactionary feminism attributes the increased acceptance of transgender identities to technological advancements in biotechnology since the 1960s.
That’s a fast overview. Reactionary feminism is interesting.
I think most will agree that feminism – in particular 2nd wave and after – has produced, apart from some benefits, some really bad consequences for women.
In addition, I think most will agree that, at least in these USA, public education has NOT produced acceptable result.
Back to the piece at ChessBase, which is about Harrington’s warning. My emphases and comments:
Thinking as a luxury good: A warning for the digital age
British writer Mary Harrington warns that the ability to think deeply is at risk of becoming a privilege in the digital age. Drawing on her own education and recent research, she links declining literacy and attention spans to the rise of smartphones and a “post-literate” culture. Her analysis suggests this shift could create a widening cognitive gap, with serious implications for social equality, democratic health, and the preservation of reflective, reasoned thought.
A new kind of inequality
Thinking is one of the most fundamental human abilities, underpinning decision-making, learning, creativity, civic participation, adaptability and emotional well-being. [We are images of God, made to be rational.] It allows us to analyse situations, evaluate options, and arrive at informed choices in both everyday matters and complex challenges. Beyond problem-solving, it enables personal growth, continuous learning, the questioning of narratives, and the development of innovative solutions. Without it, our ability to navigate a complex world, build fair and creative societies and lead meaningful lives is severely diminished.
British journalist and writer Mary Harrington, an editor at UnHerd and author of Feminism Against Progress (2023), has raised the alarm about the erosion of this ability in modern society in an opinion piece for the New York Times. Known for her critiques of identity politics and the effects of globalisation, she argues that digital technology – especially smartphones – is steadily undermining concentration and reasoning. This, she warns, is creating a new kind of inequality, where the ability to think deeply is becoming an increasingly exclusive privilege.
Harrington contrasts her childhood education at a Waldorf school, where television was discouraged in favour of reading and outdoor play, with the hyper-connected reality of today. [There comes to mind the practice at Wyoming Catholic College.] Modern life, she observes, requires conscious effort to avoid the constant distractions of the internet and mobile devices. Although IQ scores once rose consistently (the Flynn effect), she points to recent evidence of declining literacy rates in both adults and children across OECD countries, with the steepest drops occurring among those from less privileged backgrounds.
She attributes this trend to a “post-literate” culture, in which short videos and images dominate over dense written texts. [Compare a movie from the 1950’s and one made now. Note how fast the editing has become. There are, now, hardly any long shots without cutting to something else. Now it is bam bam bam bam, rapid cuts, almost blinks.] As with the junk food industry’s impact on physical health, low-quality, attention-fragmenting media is creating a “cognitive gap” between those who can shield themselves from it and those who cannot. Affluent families often impose strict limits on screen time, sometimes opting for expensive schools that prioritise reading and long-form learning, while poorer households may lack the resources to create such environments.
Harrington emphasises that deep reading is not an innate ability but a learned skill that reshapes the brain, strengthening focus, comprehension and linear thought. [There comes to mind the important essay by Dorothy Sayers, The Lost Tools Of Learning.] In contrast, digital platforms are deliberately engineered to encourage rapid switching between stimuli. This reconditions the mind towards scanning rather than analysing, eroding the mental discipline needed for sustained engagement with complex ideas. Over time, such habits make deep concentration an increasingly rare and fragile capacity.
The social and political implications, Harrington warns, are grave. A population less able to think critically and for extended periods becomes more vulnerable to manipulation, tribalism and misinformation. Public discourse risks being reduced to emotionally charged, simplified messaging rather than evidence-based argument. In such an environment, demagogues can advance their agendas through short, emotive content that humiliates political opponents, bypassing the need for coherent, reasoned debate. This dynamic could weaken democratic accountability and civic engagement.
Ultimately, Harrington’s warning that “thinking is becoming a luxury good” highlights the risk of a culturally stratified society. A small, self-protective elite may preserve the skills of sustained reasoning and reflective thought, while the majority drifts into a post-literate state shaped by constant distraction. Such a divide threatens not only individual potential but also the intellectual and moral foundations of democratic society.
“a post-literate state shaped by constant distraction”
I’ll suggest a few things.
First, consider engaging in lectio divina and mental prayer, even for short periods at first. There is a plenary indulgence available for reading Scripture for at least a half hour.
Next, leave your phone behind or alone for awhile every day.
Also, practice careful undistracted listening along with reading.
And, play chess.
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Heh. over breakfast i was thinking about how to raise a particular issue at the hospital where i work. just about everyone uses one aspect or another of the primary computer system. it gets new features every three months. now instead of a handy written description of the new features (easy to skip what’s irrelevant and convenient for later reference if needed), there are videos.
After reading “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt (worth reading especially if you have pre-teen or teenage kids); my wife and I confirmed our decision to not allow smartphones for our kids. Our eldest (aged 11) has a “dumb” phone – call and text only.
We then decided we were setting a bad example, as we were both addicted to these… “devilish portals to chaos” in our pockets. Alas modern life requires the constant use of smart phones. We then bought balance phones and this massively helped wean us off our addiction and subsequently family life has got better, we both read more, talk more, work is more productive etc etc.
Modern life freed man from servile labour, and then enslaved him to nothingness. The devil is definitely at work in the background of consumerism.
Contrariwise, however, we live in a society where people routinely watch debates on abstruse topics, or listen to talk shows about deep meaningful things that last for hours. They’re advertising books by really intellectual non-fiction writers or bringing together discussions by professors at the top of their fields.
We live in a society where comedic movie reviews can last for an hour and a half or longer, and where Drachinifel explores huge amounts of naval engineering history for people’s entertainment.
We live in a world where gamers do political analysis and make good points, and where UK grandmas can explain the finer points of modern Middle Eastern history and language.
I wonder if there’s an “ars memoriae” video channel, to help learn locative memory techniques?
Apparently the top results for “ars memoriae” on YT are all about Giordano Bruno. And that guy came towards the end of the popularity of the ars memoriae, so yeah, that’s kinda silly. But Yates’ book talks about him, so I guess that’s why.
There’s a guy named Anthony Metivier who has a channel about mnemonic techniques, and he has an interesting critique of Yates’ book The Art of Memory. Apparently she never tried any of the classical, medieval, or Bruno memory techniques, but she did draw attention to them.
Metivier points out something I didn’t know/remember, which is that Hugh of St. Victor wrote about his memory palace techniques, which were based on the image of Noah’s Ark. :) He also has a video about the memory techniques of Bl. Ramon Llull.
Here’s an interesting work:
The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci Paperback by Jonathan D. Spence
Harrington did an interesting long interview-doc-video in conversation with Catholic philosopher Sebastian Morello. First words on screen: “I don’t believe in progress.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cpHrAPfhEo
Father,
That is a fascinating book!
I wonder where audiobooks come into this discussion – with or without having the text to follow along or consult?
And, for example, learning chant by ear and heart, or with the help of the Guidonian Hand? (And I know one young man in a schola who cannot read ‘Gregorian notation’, but seems to thrive looking at the staffless neumes in the online photos of the manuscripts used by the editors of the Liber Usualis.)
BEN: What is a “balance” phone?
This topic reminds me of the excellent book, The Shallows, by Nicholas Carr. I’m looking into both the Wisephone and the Light Phone for myself and my family. I know we will be held accountable, not only of how we all spend our time, but of how well we guide, form and protect our children. How can they discern anything if they never have quiet? How can we pray if we can’t stop and BE with our creator Who loves us so much?
https://www.andrewfolts.com/articles/light-phone-3-wisephone-2-pros-cons-tech-phone-addiction-digital-minimalism-dumb-phone-2efdd02fd8054e19b1ab4aa61e6a0b89/
There’s a program called SHIFT that can temporarily turn a smart phone dumb (leaves alone maps and notes, but blocks access to your work apps, for example,) but it might be of concern to some readers, rightfully so, that one of the zoomers working on it appears to be falling down anti-Semitic rabbit holes online.
I just use the Screen Time feature built into my phone, tbh.
It depends on the subject, but I find that audiobooks can lead to very strong recall of material. In my case, it’s possible that my brain pays more attention when I’m doing something else with my hands, especially if that something is fairly automatic.
But the same thing seems to happen if I go out walking while listening to an audiobook.
The weird thing is that re-listening to audiobooks seems to bring up strong recall of the last time one listened to it, including all the circumstances.
I have good memory for written books, but usually I only recall the circumstances when I found and purchased the book, not of when I was reading it.
So in summary, the only possible conclusion of the quest to “dominate” Nature is a populace ripe to be manipulated by those with power.
So predicted C.S. Lewis in “The Abolition of Man” 80 years ago.
“Affluent families often impose strict limits on screen time, sometimes opting for expensive schools that prioritise reading and long-form learning, while poorer households may lack the resources to create such environments.”
Off the top, this comment strikes me as being backward. Poorer families, being poorer, should be less able to purchase… pc’s, smartphones, or TV’s… so should have less access to screens. Wealthier families would logically have more trouble by being able to purchase electronics more readily.
..Or do they mean that wealthier parents will seek more expensive schools which use hard-copy books more often; in contrast, poorer families might be stuck with “modern education” which depends more on school-provided devices, so the children spend more time using computers?
For either poor or wealthy families though, …I should think parents could readily decide how much access to TV or electronics they allow their children.
jflare29 – We live in a world of cheap trivialities and expensive necessities – the exact opposite of previous generations. In 1950, you would spend 3-4 months’ worth of rent on a budget TV. Today, you can get a decent TV with hundreds of free streaming services for $80 – less than 5% the average monthly rent. Same with computers and phones.
Broken economics is not a trivial factor in the present cultural rot.
acardnal – Balance Phone! Brilliant bit of kit. It (currently) is sold as a Samsung Galaxy 16 but with a user interface written for it, which removes all the bright colours and logos and notifications. It allows for banking apps, authentication apps, maps; but the only social media app it allows is WhatsApp. Other social media apps are not allowed to be downloaded at all; websites for gambling, some media, porn, and lots of other “time wasters” are not allowed.
“Broken economics is not a trivial factor in the present cultural rot.”
Hmmm…. I well understand what you’re getting at, Ages. …Yet I don’t think this a problem of economics. I think it a problem of… expectations. …A problem of …parents.
We can access TV, radio, and web very easily, far better than 1950 or 1998. Still, knowing durn well how much rubbish may be found, parents may readily restrict children from TV or web, both by time and by content… We did sometimes call it the “boob tube” for a reason. Sometimes more than one. Economics may be a factor, yet I think parental intent counts for a lot more.