Cover: Irresistible argument… France, 1841 Series: Robert Macaire Newspaper: Le Charivari, May 16, 1841 Engravings; lithographs Lithography Sheet: 23.65 x 19.84 cm Donation from Mrs. Florence Victor from the David and Florence Victor Collection (M.91.82.139) Honoré Daumier (France, Marseille, 1808-1879) Public domain Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Maurício Pinheiro
Ah, the digital era, that wonderful playground where intellectual discussions resemble more of an insult parade than constructive dialogue. After all, why bother debating ideas when one can simply attack the person presenting them? We are undoubtedly witnessing an epic invasion of ad hominem attacks – and a battle between primary shallowness and intellectual depth.
Let’s face the facts head-on: society is becoming increasingly primitive. Depth is being traded for superficiality, and erudition is drowning in a sea of memes, selfies, and emojis. And whom should we blame for this intellectual shipwreck? Well, it would be easy to point the finger at technology, but let’s blame the true root of the problem: the alarming amount of superficial and false information permeating the web bubbles.
How many books have you read this year? Well, the answer is probably nothing to be proud of. Why bother with the wisdom accumulated over centuries when we can spend hours scrolling through endless social media feeds? After all, who needs knowledge when there are TikToks, influencers, and coaches to fill the existential void?
The saying “simple people talk about people, intelligent people talk about facts, and cultured people talk about ideas” seems to be losing its luster. After all, few nowadays seem interested in discussing ideas when they can simply attack those who propose them. And when it comes to politics, well, it’s almost as if 90% of the debate is purely ad hominem. As Marcus Tullius Cicero used to say, “O tempora, o mores!”. Sometimes there’s just no resisting this outburst.
We are living in an era of intellectual regression, where the ability to reason logically is being replaced by the ability to hurl creative insults. And why bother understanding others’ viewpoints when we can simply label them and dismiss them?
Perhaps it’s time to recognize that we are becoming victims, or even slaves, to our own devices – literally and figuratively. In this context, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that we are already being controlled by hundreds of AIs, even though we are far from AGI and singularity. Perhaps the blame does indeed lie with technology… As we spend precious hours on our smartphones, feeding our minds with empty trivialities, we are inadvertently contributing to the decline of intellectual debate and training these AIs…
But, of course, why worry about all this when we can simply post a funny meme about it and call it a day? After all, who needs a sharp mind when you can have a news feed full of nonsense? Ah, the sweet irony of the digital era. I’m off… Hemingway awaits me on the nightstand.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/average-books-read-per-year-by-country
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