DIS-CONNECT. . . Reflecting on information control

INQUIRY:

	How do aeronautics relate to human well-being?
	Does nuclear particle research adversely impact our society?

RESPONSE:

	It's better not to consider these topics; they stir up controversy.
	Beware of idle speculation or non-prescribed ideologies.

INQUIRY:

	How is computer proliferation affecting personal privacy?
	Is power consumption somehow related to PCB toxicity?

WARNING:

	These questions are forbidden.
	It appears your neural circuits aren't functioning properly.
	Return to a Government Reeducation Center
	for a systems diagnostic promptly.

ACCESS TERMINATED.
SCREEN EMPTY.


Gunther: Woe to those who ask too much.

Liao:    Yeah. Questioning is usually tolerated only within limits.

Nadya:   Mmm . . . we're trained to be obedient from the cradle. Yet blind obedience
         is ultimately stupid. Isn't it good to question why many phenomena exist?

Bill:    Questioning is okay, but we we can understand only a small fraction of the
         questions. The world is simply too complex and our lifespans are too brief.
         For that reason, most of our "answers" are essentially expedients. They
         represent simplifications of phenomena that are inherently complex.

Liao:    Critical questioning might be annoying, but it is essential. Indeed, it's
         through questioning that many discoveries and innovations arise.

Gunther: Every system has its thresholds. When societies are robust and healthy, lots
         of criticism and questioning is tolerated. However, under stress conformity
         is often demanded. As Quetelet notes, there's a mathematics to social processes.

Bill:    I find it fascinating how some dictators almost welcome stress: it gives them
         a chance to consolidate power – at least for a short term. Few dictators are
         far-sighted enough to realize power requires a broad base to be sustainable.

Gus:     (sighing) You guys are over my head . . . I feel disconnected from this
         pseudo-conversation.

=====================================================================================
from _Cyberpoems: Exploring the Human-Machine Interface_ by T Newfields
SUMMARY:  Some thoughts about information access, control, and curiosity.
KEYWORDS: cognitive constraints, cosmological speculation, multidimensionality, meta-meaning

Author: T Newfields [Nitta Hirou / Huáng Yuèwǔ] (b. 1955 - ?)
Begun: 1992 in Nagoya, Japan / Finished: 2018 in Yokohama, Japan
Creative Commons License: Attribution. {{CC-BY-4.0}} Granted

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TRANSLATIONS

DEUTSCH   https://www.tnewfields.info/de/irgendwann.htm
ESPAÑOL   https://www.tnewfields.info/es/algun.htm
FRANÇAIS  https://www.tnewfields.info/fr/un.htm
NIHONGO   https://www.tnewfields.info/jp/itsuka.htm
ZHŌNGWÉN  https://www.tnewfields.info/zh/tian.htm