Man vs Machine: The Latest Chapter Is Just Starting
Our history and our literature show us that for most of human history machines were seen as tools to help people do more than they were capable of on their own. From simple stone tools to the inventions of the Iron Age and Bronze Age, technology augmented human capability for survival, competitive advantage and convenience. The ancient Greek legend of Icarus and Daedalus told the story of augmenting humans with wings so they could fly like the birds. For thousands of years life and art mirrored each other in a story of man AND machine, working together for the betterment of humanity.
Man vs Machine In the Industrial Age
Starting in the late 1700s, as the Industrial Revolution began to take hold, we saw a change to this paradigm. Now machines were a threat to the economic security of the newly formed working class. Machines were no longer simply helping people achieve more but also were now displacing a great many workers. This new relationship between people and technology created economic hardship for the working class. The battle between man and machine began in life and in art.
Perhaps the most famous real life battle between man and machine was the Luddite Rebellion of 1811–1813. While the movement was supposedly inspired by Englishman Ned Ludd’s smashing of textile stocking frames in 1779 it did take…
