On progress within the Common Man's written world

A Gift from that God who watches over us

On Progress Within the Renaissance Man's Written World

Before the advent of the Printing Press within the 15th century, the average man was largely reduced to the spoken word, as he was not literate, and even if for some odd reason he was there were almost no books for him to read. Only the local clergy as well as collegiates had the knowledge and resources to be able to read and study anything in any capacity. With Johannes Gutenberg's invention of such around 1439, however, several drastic shift began, the most greatest of which are the heightening of literacy in the general public and the reduction of trust placed on the Clergy as the representatives for the people in the eyes of God.

Technological Advances: Stop the Dam or Ride the Wave?

Around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg revolutionized the spreadability of knowledge and media by bringing a printing press with movable type to Europe in the heart of the European Renaissance. This allowed books to be printed and sold on a scale previously incomprehensible. Now, almost 600 years later, this is seen as an essential stepping stone towards all subsequent technological advances. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the part that the printing press played in the Protestant Reformation is indispensable.

Without the power and bias of hindsight, however, not everyone in that era was pleased with Gutenberg's accomplishment. Some even saw the printing press as barbaric and claimed that it would "impair learning by lowering it to the level of the multitude". The "high society" of knowledge was desirable and praiseworthy because it was "high society". Making knowledge more accessible made the acquiring of it less admirable.

We see this resistance to technology in our day as well. Periodically, I will receive an email from my father with a link to some study with conclusions such as "having your cell phone in the same room while working will decrease productivity even if it is powered off". Do I blame him for having these views? Can I use the printing press, what I see as a marvelous invention, to invalidate his worries? No.

People see what they want to see. Those who fight against new technologies have their reasons for doing so, and often see themselves proved right. I'm sure the studies my dad sends have valid data, and I have seen the distraction my smart phone presents. Those who grasp onto new developments also have their own reasons, and often see the good done that they hoped to see.

So do we ride the wave of technology? Do we stick to the old ways? The point is moot, the choice is yours. Either way you will be right.


Image Credit: Wikipedia Public Domain