In this episode of For Your Consideration, we are pleased to share a lecture that was given by Dr. Lee Vinsel on Thursday, February 1, 2024.
Acting wisely in the context of new technologies can be difficult because both utopian and dystopian forms of hype create unrealistic and misleading visions of near-term change. Analyzing historical and contemporary examples of hyped technologies, Dr. Vinsel argues that wisdom in the context of hype is difficult, but not impossible.
Most of all, it requires embracing the intellectual and spiritual dimensions of uncertainty—acknowledging that, as it comes to so many things, we simply do not and cannot know.
Dr. Vinsel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society at Virginia Tech. He studies human life with technology, with particular focus on the relationship between government, business, and technological change.
Vinsel’s work has been published in several major history journals and has appeared in popular outlets like Aeon, the New York Times, The Atlantic, Guardian, and Le Monde.
