I stumbled across this article after hearing this recently and thought I'd comment.
The washing machine liberated women
Interesting that the Catholic church would be trumpeting ideas changing the world over some sort of authority but interesting nonetheless. What's also interesting is the dismissive response of the article and the author's own assumptions.
It is thought provoking how technology effects people's lives. I'm not so sure all advances can be so cleanly associated with a step forward because as people adopt new things inevitably other problems come to light. Electricity demand, the chemicals in the detergents, the dyes in the clothes, the manufacturing process all could be examined to find more problems to society associated with washing machines.
I do believe that within ideas are the solution to every problem. That as problems become greater, more minds are put to work on them and eventually a tangible solution is found. No need to worry about problems, there are solutions.
However, in a closed society, where people are encouraged to be propagandized into believing which problems are important and which aren't, the biggest problems could go unrecognized. Even if the technology exists to solve it, it could remain on a shelve collecting dust. This is why freedom of speech and thought is so important and really a necessity for everyone. Large problems being pushed by media, government or industry might be easily solvable. Endless wars, police brutality, diseases, poverty, etc... all have solutions, it's just a marketing problem.
I think the biggest problem, when it comes to problems, is the obscuring of the real root of most problems as well as an honest assessment of solutions.
