Journal Entry 8/27

“A Rant About 'Technology'”

Ursula K. Le Guin

I enjoyed this rant; it was nice to hear the very honest frustrations of the author when it comes to the review (while also hearing where she agreed/respected their perspective.) I think a lot about the definitions of words, and how they impact our discussions so greatly. Oftentimes, I think a lot of misunderstandings happen simply because the people on either side of it are thinking of one key word in a slightly different way. The discussion around the word “technology” in this rant is a perfect example of this, and it is an example of how one word can contain many things, or be a fluid representation of multiple ideas. There is “technology” as in functional things made by humans, and there is “technology” as in 21st century machines with screens. As Le Guin states, manmade fire is as much technology as a phone. I enjoy areas where words blur and loosen, and I think if we were all a bit more aware and open to shifting definitions, we would be able to collaborate and think more fluidly. I want to think and write more about fluid meanings of words.

As for the actual discussion about Le Guin's writing, I am not too familiar with the differences between hard or soft science fiction. However, I do relate to Le Guin's urge to write about the mundane, or particularly human things about a fictional future world. I typically find the human interactions of science fiction media to be the most fascinating, less the fanciful spaceships or weapons. I also appreciate her idea that technology and humanity are one and the same. We created all of it. I also think about this in discussions of “human vs. nature.” Are humans not natural? Are we not a product of our own world, making us a part of it just as trees or birds? I think there is a lot of fluidity in the definitions of the words “human” and “nature.”