Mechanization and Conservatism: A Complex Relationship

 

                         Mechanization and Conservatism:                               A Complex Relationship

                            01.07.2024

The impact of mechanization on society is multifaceted, and it intersects with cultural values, critical thinking, and social dynamics. While mechanization has undeniable benefits, it can also lead to unintended consequences, including the reinforcement of conservative and regressive ideologies.

Mechanization and Cognitive Patterns

Mechanization refers to the widespread adoption of automated processes, reducing the need for manual labor. Scientific awareness and knowledge have risen alongside mechanization, but they represent distinct aspects of societal progress. Scientific awareness fosters critical thinking, whereas mechanization tends to replace critical thinking with repetitive tasks. Repetition stifles diversity, as people become accustomed to standardized routines. There is a very real danger of becoming mechanized in behavioral pattern due to doing repetitive tasks round a day.

Homogenization of Thought

In highly mechanized societies, people often think and communicate in similar ways. Regardless of their social backgrounds or cultural upbringing, individuals converge toward a common language. Ideologies, which are dynamic and evolving, give way to fixed algorithms. Algorithms, once established, rarely undergo further scrutiny or improvement. And whenever an algorithm is improved it again becomes repetitive in its use. We commonly see retweets and reposts throughout the days due to such tendencies and seldom invest our cognitive and critical thinking to analyze the things by delving deeper into the reality.

Ideologies vs. Algorithms

Ideologies are fluid belief systems that adapt to changing circumstances. They require ongoing critical thinking and open-mindedness. Algorithms, on the other hand, are rigid and deterministic. Once an algorithm produces desired results, it remains unchallenged. Algorithms generate blind faith which prevents the practitioner from experimenting with ideas and realities to innovate something novel.

Conservatism and Mechanization

Mechanization provides fertile ground for conservatism to thrive because of the above discussed reasons.. Conservative values often resist change and favor stability. This conservatism extends beyond individual behavior to economic and political systems. In an algorithmic world, knowledge about creating algorithms is concentrated among a few experts. Society accepts these algorithms without necessarily engaging in critical thinking. Sense and  belief in infallibility about machines start residing somewhere deeper in people's consciousness which make them averse to innovation in their daily life. This mechanistic thinking create boredom in our personality and makes us more lonely and even depressed. In such a situation people start taking refuge of flimsy and sometimes even fanatic religiosity . This breeds inward looking nationalism, deglobalization, and at the personality level sense of fear and anger creep in.  

Till now we have been concerned with the concentration of wealth in capitalist societies and the consequent concentration of privileges within a smaller group. However, in the modern science and technological era, knowledge is becoming costlier by leaps and bounds. With the concentration of wealth in fewer hands, coupled with the concentration of knowledge in those rich hands, societies are becoming intellectually mediocre. People are becoming more risk-averse, and in most capitalist societies, college and higher education are increasingly going out of the reach of common people. These common people are either giving up higher education or sinking into deep debts, which is making their lives miserable. In such a situation, unrest in societies is increasing, common trust is breaking, and the social contract is giving way to social conflicts. All these situations are providing fertile ground for conservatism, anti-liberalism, and populism, which are combined forces behind the rise of ultra-right or ultra-left ideologies. The results are now starting to reflect in elections in democracies and the rise of populist authoritarianism.

Authoritarianism and Monopolistic Economy

The limited access to algorithmic knowledge reinforces authoritarian tendencies. People benefit from mechanization without actively participating in critical discourse. Consequently, support for authoritarian rule and monopolistic economic structures grows. Today we see as technology becomes more complex  and resource consuming with increasing use of digitization and AI economy is shifting towards corporatization making most of the people employees and not entrepreneurs . This in increasing concentration of wealth all around the world and inequality and consequent social unrest and political far rightism is increasing rapidly.

In summary, while mechanization brings efficiency and progress, we must remain vigilant about its unintended consequences. Balancing technological advancement with critical thinking and openness is essential to avoid reinforcing regressive ideologies.