life is not simple. humans do not truly desire simplicity - rather, they want to express their individuality and complex states and therefore make their lives, gadgets, communications, etc more complicated
we seek more and more knowledge about living and being - the more knowledge we have, the more complicated life can seem to be and the more complex we make it
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SIMPLE: one microchip to make life simple would be all it takes - programme all the data required on it - restrict access to offices, know your bank balance, open garage door, etc
8 comment(s) so far
BigAthinks: Don't agree that people desire complexity. Look at all great people and philosophers - most of them come to the realization that after complexity comes simplicity. Complexity is easy - just give in and go with the flow. Simplicity requires fighting back. Writing something in 1 page is harder than writing 20 pages, if it should convey the same meaning. Choosing two pairs of good shoes is harder than giving into temptation and buying 15 poor quality pairs. Less is more.
andreasthinks: Less is definetly more. We all rely on other peoples reviews and claims. Because I use a couple of hours talking to friends and searching on the internet to find the right cell phone for me, it doesn't make me more complicated or individual. If any - it only makes life a little more difficult (and definetly more fun) that we have a variety of options to choose from. But I'm still just choosing a cell phone.
idesignthinks: I like the idea of one gadget or chip containing all of our personal information. I often thought that would be our cell phones, although it would also contain your credit card and bank information and serve as a remote key to your home/office/car. Security would have to be very high, but it would be the ultimate convenience as you would never be without your information or even misplace your keys again.
trickyskillsthinks: Individuals should have the choice to follow whatever life they choose. If this be a congested, over complicated existence, so be it!
I'm happy with a good book and a cup of tea myself.
SacredVerminthinks: Wow, what a philosophical billyclub.
Why are a good book and a cup of tea exclusive from a life of complexity? Minimalism, ergonomics, and automation can strike a perfect balance between the two. There is no universal simple or complex.
And refinement and taste aren't complex. I would say that it's easier to buy a couple of well-manufactured and tasteful pairs of shoes than grabbing a bunch of sweatshop knockoffs (in response to BigA's post)
mzellersthinks: people are split personalities in this regard. people want many things simultaneously - i.e a lot of features BUT easy to use.... something different, YET not something too unfamiliar...
depends on the person, the particular topic or object being discussed and maybe even the specific day...
the assertation that simplicity is merely convenience - well, i think is just playing word games...
and to be sure, life *is* complex...but our mobile phones don't have to be :-)
tit's very reasonable to attempt to simplify it where we can...
it's a law of thermodynamics, right - the world tends to move towards complexity (chaos) takes work to simplify it - bring order to it - as another commenter mentioned...
jonothinks: the process of making something simple has no relevance to its eventual simplicity - no matter how complicated it may be to turn a 20 page piece of work into 1 page the outcome is made simpler and from then on it is not affected by how complicated it was to make it that way. Therefore the outcome of simplicity cannot be judged by how complex its creation is.
The education system is an example of making things simple - its not for convience that we simplyfy the process, it is so we can convey complicated ideas inorder that children can better understand them, but as they progress into further education the ideas become increasingly more complicated, but now it is no longer a necessity as they seek to learn these ideas of their own free wil.
Humans do what is logical (to the indivdual) -which is not always making things simple. If making life easier for ourselves is logical and simplicity is a way of achieving this then we class it as a convenience, but simplicity is a concept that evolves with time. If you consider what life was like before electricity im sure the people living in that time would consider the technology we now have very complicated.
