Human Being

The advent of VHS, cable and satellite television, video game consoles and the PC in the 1980s changed things further

530 million people simultaneously watched the Moon landing

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s seminal 1841 essay Self-Reliance

Throughout this expanse, spanning 165 million square kilometres, an extraordinary uniformity of language and custom was found by explorers such as Captain James Cook.

fuubutsushi, refers to the intuitive first stirrings of recognition we have as the seasons begin to change:

Human beings are hardwired to master and hone new skills; to learn what we are truly capable of, we just have to get started.

our increasing reliance on our devices can come to seem inevitable, and transhumanist projections of a future in which our bodies are fused with or superseded by hardware direct public debate to focus on technological advance while giving little space for the contemplation of human being.

technology use is degrading not only our core competencies but also the very essence of what makes us human.

when we rely on our devices to support our core abilities – essential skills we have acquired such as reading or writing, or fundamental capabilities such as memory, navigation or social skills – these can quickly begin to degrade over time. As a result, the benefits we gain from digital technology come at a substantial cost.

Emerson’s notion of self-reliance – that is, making use of our own innate or learned abilities – is more important than ever.