“This is a meeting place for practitioners of enabling technologies.”
the barkeep proclaims as you enter.
“Who is considered a practitioner?” you ask.
“Oh, you needn’t worry about that”, she says with a grin. “As we see it, everyone is a practitioner of some kind of technology! Therefore, everyone is welcome.”
“I just like to warn newbies up front.” She explains. "We cater to a rather tech obsessed crowd. They are all friendly enough. Maybe too friendly, if that’s a thing. They know enough to leave you alone if you need time to think. But once in conversation, they are, shall we say, passionate. They have little time for mindless chatter and small talk. They always have something more intense on their minds. They live and breathe tech.
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“Don’t get me wrong. I am not trying to scare you away. Far from it. I believe there is no better place.”
She then proudly indicates the room with the sweep of her hand and says, “This is a connection to a great and growing network of resources.” With a wink, she adds, “And by entering, you easily become one of those resources yourself.”
You look about the room and see a very diverse crowd. There are people at the bar, at open tables, and in enclosed booths. Some sit alone while others engage in animated but respectfully quiet conversations. Laptops and mobile devices are in use everywhere, but so are pencils and paper. At one table, a small object is being passed around with keen interest.
The barkeep gives you a conspiratorial smile, holds her hand as if to hide her lips and whispers as if sharing a sacred secret, “The motley crew that meets here holds a magical key to freedom, wealth, and power.” She winks and adds, “It is yours for the asking.”
She introduces you to the young man next to you at the bar. His name is James.
You open the conversation with “So, everyone here is interested in technology?”
“Oh yeah. Some of us are rather geeky and deep into obscure and esoteric things, but others are just interested in a good time and getting more out of life,” he laughs and adds, “Either that, or they were dragged here by the geeky significant other. But even then, their partner usually ends up fitting right in. There is really something here for everybody. Technology in some form or other is really a very common thread.”
“That is what your bartender said,” you add.
“Yes. It certainly sets the tone when the management diligently reminds you of why your here.”
“That bother you?”
“Not at all. I appreciate it. I am really glad this place draws us all together. As a community, we share some common ideas that I deeply appreciate.”
“Like what?”
“We often talk of technology as being ‘integral and integrated.’ It is a powerful concept. It derives from some ideas about the evolution of things expressed by the philosopher Ken Wilber. The gist of it is that technologies naturally evolve to meet our needs and wants by leveraging our efforts. We can maximize the value of technology by fully integrating it into our lives. Does that make sense?”
“I think so. But I know there are those who don’t. There are those who believe in a simpler life and opting out of technology.”
“Are there?”
“Sure. For instance, there are the Amish.”
“The Amish chose to shun some kinds of tech, but the technology they embraced they master and integrate into a way of life.”
“What technology?”
“It might be horse and buggy technology. Home-spun technology. Barn-raising technology. Some of them are great craftsmen and some are even welders and mechanics. How do you define ‘technology’?”
“I guess I was specifically thinking of modern technology.”
“I can understand that. Our culture tends to use the word ‘technology’ as shorthand for modern technology. However, I am thinking of tech I am looking at the bigger picture. There are aboriginal tribes who never saw a computer or even a wheel, and yet they have very sophisticated and well-honed food gathering and construction skills. They are practitioners of those technologies, and they have a thing or two they could teach us.”
“I can see that. I am certainly not used to thinking of technology in that way.”
“What I have taken from Ken Wilber’s ideas is that modern tech is rooted in historical tech. New tech does not destroy the value of the previous tech. It transcends and includes it. Ultimately, it is all tech. The stone age practitioner of knapping flint is ancient kin to the modern practitioner of high-speed precision machining or 3D printing.”
“So, you consider yourself a practitioner?”
“Around here, it is a bit of a cliché to say we are all practitioners of some kind and degree. But yeah, I identify with my practice.”
“What is your practice?”
“I am into high-tech automation and AI. I get excited about all things on the cutting edge.”
“Some might call it ‘the bleeding edge.’”
“That’s very true. A razor-sharp blade can cut deep.”
You take a quick glance up to make sure the barkeep is not within earshot so as not to risk offending her. You ask, “So is it a blasphemy here to point out the downsides of technology?”
“Not at all. In fact, it is a common topic of conversation.”
A few quiet moments pass as you think about that. What is the long-range impact of technologies that are changing our world faster than our ability to adapt? Are all our technological wonders moving us toward some utopia or utter destruction? As we delegate more and more of our tasks and challenges to machines, will we devolve into creatures that cannot do or think for themselves? Could we innovate ourselves out of existence?
“Is there a particular downside you are thinking about?” James asks.
“At the moment, not really. I have concerns and questions.”
“As we all should have. Every enabling technology comes with benefits, risks, and trade-offs.”
“You are obviously a tech enthusiast. The way you describe it, technology is everything.”
“Not everything, but in my worldview, it is one-third of what it means to be human.”
“One-third? Okay, I’ll bite. What are the other two-thirds?”
“Science and religion.”
“Science and religion? That is a surprising answer. Is that more of your Ken Wilber?”
“Not directly, no. But I think it is a profound idea. It was the result of some collaborative discussions I have had we people here.”
After a pause, you ask, “I am beginning to see how technology is a universal human experience, but I don’t see how science and religion are.”
“Well, as so often is the case, the trick is in the definitions. The high-level definition of science is our objective perception of the world. It is how we understand the patterns in the data and understand the relationships between and within those patterns.”
“So, science is how we take the world apart. Religion is how we put it all together. It is our subjective understanding. It is how we give meaning to what we understand. It is why we conduct ourselves in certain ways. It is our unifying principles.”
“Your definition of religion didn’t mention God.”
“For many people, God is important. But couldn’t we fit God into my definition? God certainly would qualify as unifying principle. Wouldn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“I am suggesting here that science, religion, and technology make up human experience. It is how we perceive, what we believe, and how we achieve. Not everyone’s religion includes a God, but even an atheist can have unifying principles and beliefs about proper conduct. True?”
“Yes, I can see that. So being so focused on technology, does anyone ever talk about science and religion here?”
“Well, there is a technology of science; it is called engineering. And there is also a technology of religion; it is called integrity.”
You stay late and meet many new friends. You find out that there are many halls and stairs at tekTavern leading to meeting rooms, conference rooms, rooms to rent, and even libraries and workshops. You learn that they are all available to you. There are even people who use the tekTavern as a base of operations for freelance and collaborative enterprises.
Most of all, you know you have found a comfortable place for yourself and your fellow travelers.
The tekTavern motto is “share a little, reap a lot.”
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