Think different or: Three thesis and a paradox

First thesis: Digitization as a journey into the past

Digitization – the way the leading Silicon Valley companies propagates –  is the way back to the 1940s and 1950s. It’s the way back to the beliefs in cybernetics and behaviorism with all failed theories like “artificial intelligence” (AI) and failed methods like “programmed learning”. It’s the belief in the possibility of measurement of the complete world and also all people and their behavior and complete societies. Also, people are regarded as controllable and programmable machines.

Second thesis: Digitization as a doctrine of salvation

When anybody talks about “new technologies” from Silicon Valley, they talk about computers, smart phones, new digital devices and the latest apps and trends. They are mostly fascinated by the variety and speed of possible services for entertaining, shopping or communication. They believe that they themselves are in the center of interest. But they are only data suppliers.

The deal: Users get some useful applications and give their personal /private) data to one of the Big Data Monopoles. They accept a complete monitoring of all their actions, because they believe (or rather: they want to believe) in the visions that the developers promise to them: that they will and can program a completely new, a better world for all people. These are the most popular promises from the valley: a better, a more fair and peaceful world, without hierarchies and without violence or war. They also promise (therefore I call it doctrine of salvation) to defeat all diseases, especially cancer, defeat aging and at the end – defeat the death.

Digitization is the combination of backwardness and the belief in the possibility of measurement and programmability of anything. Therefore i call it “doctrine of salvation”.

Third thesis: Digitization is the technology of counterintelligence

Digitization (the way Silicon Valley monopolists offers it) is a technology and method of the counterintelligence (counter-reconnaissance; in contrast to enlightenment). Digital systems with a synthetic voice accustom us to do what the machine says. Instead of deciding at our own responsibility, we get accustomed to foreign control. Using this technique in school means: Pupils sit in front of a screen and wait for the machine to tell them what to do next. The systems are ready for use.

“In order to use this voice as an intelligent personal assistant for education, there is only one great field trial in which the system can improve itself.” (Breithaupt, 2015)

And? Are you ready for a great field trial with students? The aim of school and teaching is independence and maturity, not to obey any algorithms or software. Therefore i call the actually systems “ technology of counterintelligence“.

Paradox of digital learning tools: learning for nothing

The primary problem is a paradox: All you can learn with a computer and e-learning software to do your job , also a machine can learn to do your job. Therefore: We have generally to discuss, what humans have to learn in a human school.

Learning software can only check whether answers ore handling are correct, not whether something has been understood or comprehended. People should learn, what machines never can learn. For example: Machines are wether social nor have own ideas. Computer just do, what they programmed for. They have neither imagination nor inspiration, no fantasy and no creativity. What machines can: Computers can calculate and recognize patterns. This is backwards. People can develop new things for the future.

Let the machines do their work and teach the children, what humans work, spirit and understanding can create.