Some sixty years ago I was invited to a competition sponsored by the Bank of America for pending high school graduates. We were directed to read The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster and to prepare for questions and discussions. The Machine Stops was published in 1909 and is available free online HERE. The story is eerily descriptive of the world we live in today.
The story is about a woman, Vashti, and her son, Kuno, who live in small underground rooms “hexagonal in shape like the cell of a bee” isolated from the world above, from each other and from all the other inhabitants. Their every need from the air they breathe, food and water, entertainment, medical services, etc. is provided by the Machine. All necessary instructions for living in this way are described in the Book of the Machine which acts as a sort of Bible that people worship. Humanity was forced underground because the world above became uninhabitable. The Machine not only provides for them but controls them in an authoritarian way. Escape to the world above ground is prohibited but Kuno has found a way out. Vashti worries about him and cautions him to stop disobeying the rules. She has come to worship the Machine and fears that Kuno will be severely punished if he tries to escape. As the Machine begins to fail and the services it provides become degraded, Vashti slowly grows to doubt her faith in the Machine. At the end of the story the underground world and everything in it self-destructs but not before Vashti and her son catch a glimpse of what might be in the future:
“But Kuno, is it true? Are there still men on the surface of the earth? Is this — this tunnel, this poisoned darkness — really not the end?” He replied: “I have seen them, spoken to them, loved them. They are hiding in the mist and the ferns until our civilization stops. Today they are the Homeless — to-morrow—” “Oh, to-morrow — some fool will start the Machine again, to-morrow.” “Never,” said Kuno, “never. Humanity has learnt its lesson.” As he spoke, the whole city was broken like a honeycomb. An air-ship had sailed in through the vomitory into a ruined wharf. It crashed downwards, exploding as it went, rending gallery after gallery with its wings of steel. For a moment they saw the nations of the dead, and, before they joined them, scraps of the untainted sky.
Today’s world is in many ways the world Forster imagined over a hundred years ago. A Machine (the Internet) provides much of our needs while we live isolated lives interconnected to a larger community by that Machine. As artificial intelligence grows and improves we become more dependent on the Machine and more subservient to its needs. The downside, as pointed out by many independent thinkers even some of the inventors of the AI technology leading us in that direction, is dehumanization and loss of control. Our very way of thinking, what we think and how we think, changes in a way that makes us brain dead. David Foster Wallace understood the dangers clearly and wrote about them in a commencement address delivered at Kenyon College in 2005 (This Is Water):
“Learning how to think” really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot or will not exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed. Think of the old cliché about the mind being “an excellent servant but a terrible master.”
One way or another our world will change. We will either obliterate ourselves in an atomic blast, grovel before a superior race of robots, or descend into chaos as everything falls apart. I suppose we could continue to muddle along as we always have but I consider that the least likely option. Then again, maybe we will find a way to make things better. Today they are the Homeless — to-morrow—
In his famous poem The Blue House, Tomas Transtromer writes “We do not actually know it, but we sense it: our life has a sister vessel which plies an entirely different route.”
We cannot and should not know that path. We can only make choices and know that each comes with gains and losses. We can stand in the trees and watch our sister ship glide past us, people on the bow gaily waving at us from above, some happier than us, some more sad. Turn and look at our house, as it stands, understanding that it will be repainted when we are gone but grateful and accepting for the way it is right now. (see Melissa Perley HERE)
The author Paul McHugh in discussing his book Came A Horseman about a man who navigates through a dystopia caused by a massive solar flare that knocked out the entire planet’s electrical infrastructure explains: “To me, the most interesting part is: how do you cope? Who’s doing well, who’s doing poorly, and why?” He describes the books protagonist as “a torch-bearer of culture, and keeping the flame alive,” something that seems like a useful response in today’s world.
The risks the Machine will fail or stop are several and highly probable. See This is the Way the World Ends, Margaret MacMillan MacMillan provides a summary of changes to the world order over the past two centuries. She puts our current situation in historical perspective. Everything is changing again before our eyes in a way that many who believe in liberal democracy and science may see as bleak or frightening. There might be some small comfort in remembering that change is a constant and what seems inevitable today may no longer exist tomorrow.
I asked Google AI to summarize some reasons today’s Machine might stop. I got the following response.
Several significant threats could fundamentally alter or dismantle the internet.
Key areas include:
1. Cyberattacks and Malicious Actors:
- Multiple Extortion Attacks: These attacks combine data encryption, data theft with the threat of leaks, and Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks. They pose a serious threat to businesses and organizations.
- Cyber-Enabled Information Warfare: The manipulation and corruption of information through cyber means can erode trust in democratic institutions and destabilize global society.
- Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs): Sophisticated cyberattacks gain long-term access to networks for espionage or sabotage.
- Ransomware: Malware that encrypts data and demands a ransom for its release can cripple organizations and disrupt services.
- DDoS Attacks: These attacks can overwhelm network infrastructure, making online services unavailable, disrupting crucial systems.
2. Government Control and Internet Shutdowns:
- Increasing Authoritarian Control: Governments use internet shutdowns and censorship to suppress dissent and maintain power.
- Impact on Democracy and Human Rights: Internet shutdowns undermine democratic processes and restrict freedom of expression.
3. Infrastructure Vulnerabilities:
- Critical Infrastructure Dependencies: The internet relies on physical infrastructure, which is vulnerable to cyberattacks and natural disasters.
- Emerging Technologies and Vulnerabilities: Advancements in AI and IoT create new avenues for attacks and introduce potential vulnerabilities.
4. Societal and Economic Impacts:
- Erosion of Trust and Social Cohesion: The spread of misinformation can damage social trust and contribute to political instability.
- Economic Disruption: Internet shutdowns, cyberattacks, and data breaches can cause significant economic losses and disrupt businesses.
- Dependence and Fragility: Dependence on the internet makes the system vulnerable to disruption.
These threats are often interconnected and can have cascading effects. Addressing them requires robust cybersecurity measures, international cooperation, and a commitment to protecting human rights.
This list should give any seal-respecting optimist pause for reflection. Yet here I am, sixty odd years after having entered that contest as a naive high school senior still siding with Kuno: “I have seen them, spoken to them, loved them. They are hiding in the mist and the ferns until our civilization stops. To-day they are the Homeless — to-morrow—”
By the way, I won 2nd place and earned $50 bucks in that contest in 1964. After inflation that comes to a bit over $500 today, enough to buy one of those newfangled Machines that everyone walks around staring at. Who knows, I may learn how to use it before it goes out of style.