Wednesday, November 08, 2006

thought of the day

Computers, in so far as they impose the reign of information, are the enemies of truth and democracy. Our gaze at their screens is the consitution through watching and receiving of inherently violent transactions which in the end, when we step through their looking-glass, always invlove real physical violence.

On line, therefore, we are clubbing each other to death, but invisibly, very gradually and at a huge remove. When this process does appear, then we finally see what we collectively do, but assume that it has nothing to do with us, individually. But just as breathing is the most massive combustion, so this slowed-down and distributed violence is actually increased violence, like a torture that is all the more torture through being long drawn-out. (John Milbank, Being Reconciled: Ontology and Pardon, 37)

Yes, I am aware of the apparent paradox of putting this quote on a blog.

I suspect that in a roundabout way this might have something very much to do with Jonny B's comment about "more blogging than biking," though what, exactly, the connection might be I'm not sure.

No comments: