TJL #13: Civilisation advances by extending the number of operations we can perform without thinking about them
And why operations of thought are like cavalry charges
Hi friends,
Welcome back to Today Jan Learned (TJL) #13. In this newsletter I try to share something interesting every day so stay tuned.
Today I want to share with you an interesting passage from Atomic Habits by James Clear. I can highly recommend the book because it’s a good read, although I believe the main points can be summarised in a page or two.
Not thinking using tech
In the book, there’s a chapter on how we should use technology to make bad habits difficult and good habits inevitable. In that chapter there is this quote from Alfred North Whitehead:
When you automate as much of your life as possible, you can spend your effort on the tasks machines cannot do yet. Each habit that we hand over to the authority of technology frees up time and energy to pour into the next stage of growth. As mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead wrote, “Civilisation advances by extending the number of operations we can perform without thinking about them.”
“Civilisations advances by extending the number of operations we can perform without thinking about them.” I don’t recall whether this was the first time I saw this quote, but I instantly fell in love with it.
This, to me, is what is at the core of technology.
Technology allows us to outsource many of our tasks to a machine. A machine that does the task, better, faster, with more precision and less error. This frees up neural bandwidth for us to do things that are at the current frontier of human capabilities, and I think that’s beautiful.
Washing machines
This is how we used to wash our clothes. Nay, this is how many people, that are less fortunate than we are, still wash their clothes.
I believe that there is a lot of under-appreciated wealth and prosperity hidden in common appliances like washing machines. We are so used to these machines that we sometimes forget what a true blessing and engineering marvel they are.
There are a number of operations that we want to happen to our clothes when we wash them. Washing. Soaping. Rinsing. Drying. We all outsource these to our washing machine, freeing up our brain to do other stuff! I just freaking love washing machines, sorry.
The Cavalry
I sought the original source of the quote mentioned before and found it. In its entirety it’s even better. The actual quote continues like this:
Civilization advances by extending the number of operations we can perform without thinking about them. Operations of thought are like cavalry charges in battle -- they are strictly limited in number, they require fresh horses, and must only be made at decisive moments.
Operations of thought are like cavalry charges in battle, strictly limited, they require fresh horses, and must only be made at decisive moments. I love how visceral, primal, and visual this analogy is.
Don’t waste brainpower on things that can be outsourced to technology. We should not waste our cavalry charges on closing that tab on YouTube or fighting against the Twitter notification on our phone.
Our horses are tired
Nonetheless, technology is amoral. It does not pick sides, we do. This means that technology can also be used against us, and it’s damn good at it.
Technology is auto-play on Netflix and Youtube, forcing us to consume more and more. Binge watching becomes something automatic instead of something that you actually want. Why? Because you have to put in more effort to stop watching than to continue watching.
Instead of doing what we want, we are compelled by the virtue of technology to continue watching. All you have to do is keep your eyes open. Obey. Consume. Don’t resist.
Instead of pressing a button to go to the next episode, we have to lead a cavalry charge against the very nature of our monkey brain. When I spell it out like this it becomes quite dystopian really.
Tech makes it very easy to act on our desires. Bored? Instant novelty on social media. Hungry? Instant food delivered to your doorstep. Alone? Instant shallow connections at your disposal.
When it becomes so easy to act on our desires we can find ourselves becoming slaves to them. We become slaves to whatever impulse arrives at the moment. Is this something we truly want to be? I consider myself a victim of this as well, with a self-admitted impulse-control problem. I get distracted very easily and have to use external tools to keep myself on track.
Recap
To summarise, technology is beautiful in the sense that it allows us to extend the number of operations we can do without thinking about them.
“Civilisation advances by extending the number of operations we can perform without thinking about them.”
On the other hand, sometimes we have to fight against technology because it is being used against us.
Operations of thought are like cavalry charges in battle -- they are strictly limited in number, they require fresh horses, and must only be made at decisive moments.
When this happens, bring fresh horses.
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