04-28-2012, 06:34 AM | #11 |
Night Watchman
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
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Re: Religious Prohibitions Leading to Safe-tech
There are real-world sects that forbid computers entirely. A friend bought his house from a family in one of them, who were greatly concerned that he might be someone who used computers. They didn't seem to have a very reliable definition of computer, judging by their two automatic washing machines (at least 16-bit processors), so he just lied about it.
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04-28-2012, 07:11 AM | #12 | |
Untagged
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
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Re: Religious Prohibitions Leading to Safe-tech
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04-28-2012, 09:00 AM | #13 | |
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Central Europe
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Re: Religious Prohibitions Leading to Safe-tech
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"It is easier to banish a habit of thought than a piece of knowledge." H. Beam Piper This forum got less aggravating when I started using the ignore feature |
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04-28-2012, 09:53 AM | #14 | |
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
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Re: Religious Prohibitions Leading to Safe-tech
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Now, if the civilization in question is human, they will still subconsciously use defaults, but showing signs of anything above that will not be acceptable. For instance, 'I know you are lying - I see it in your eyes' or 'I do not trust him to uphold his promise in the future - people like him do not tend to be honest' are instant ILOSE buttons in such a society. Doing something even more outrageous, like P'ekman's study of Body Language, or a corporation that specializes in producing advertisements (Propaganda) would likely be criminal offences in such a culture. |
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04-28-2012, 10:16 AM | #15 |
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Republic of Texas; FOS
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Re: Religious Prohibitions Leading to Safe-tech
What about using a medically-based paranoia as a religious framework?
Back in '95 - '99 I delivered home healthcare supplies including liquid oxygen and O2 concentrators. There was a group of people, maybe 50 or so total, that were all patients of this one Doctor that catered to their particular brand of worry - that modern technology was the main source of all their health problems. They were afraid of RF specifically, from microwaves to cell phones. Also banned were any sort of plastics, artificial anything food of clothing-wise. Their apartments had all carpet removed, empty electrical sockets covered with tin foil, and the only appliances were lamps, stoves, refrigerators, the concentrators I delivered, and some 'magic air' machines (filters? De-ionizers) the "Dr" recommended. Their Doctor prescribed Oxygen for their respiratory ailments in many cases, which is why I interacted with them. A few were in apartments, but the majority had an enclave just outside of town that had a bunch of cement and cinderblock buildings, and no phones or electricity to contaminate their health. This small group devoutly believed everything they were doing "for medical reasons" with a zeal most would reserve for religious beliefs. Imagine a society obsessed with Safety to the point that these fears were codified into law and forced on everybody... A great book on the Cult of Medicine is Mendelson's "Confession of a Medical Heretic". It makes an interesting case for the concept of people believing in medicine and doctors much like previous generations trusted the Mysteries of the Universe to churches and priests.
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04-28-2012, 10:25 AM | #16 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Re: Religious Prohibitions Leading to Safe-tech
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I'm not saying a religious prohibition couldn't be based on an anthropomorphism that ascribes attributes of humans using computers to the computers rather than the humans, though. |
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04-28-2012, 10:55 AM | #17 | |
Night Watchman
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
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Re: Religious Prohibitions Leading to Safe-tech
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04-28-2012, 11:13 AM | #18 | |
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
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Re: Religious Prohibitions Leading to Safe-tech
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04-28-2012, 11:46 AM | #19 |
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Republic of Texas; FOS
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Re: Religious Prohibitions Leading to Safe-tech
Indeed, the irony was not lost on me. Or their use of cars to go visit the good doctor. Ifound long ago that it's an exercise in futility to argue with the thoroughly convicted.
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Our decades-old & rarely updated CarWars blog & Hotwheel conversion tutorial: North Texas Autoduel Association |
04-28-2012, 06:31 PM | #20 | |
Untagged
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
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Re: Religious Prohibitions Leading to Safe-tech
Quote:
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computers, low-tech companion 1, religion, retro-tech, safe-tech, science fiction, transhuman space |
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