Technology does not evolve in a straightforward line. Virtually no evolutionary process does, including the evolution of faith. When Finland Yearly Meeting gathers together this fall, we will spend significant time in corporate discernment over the matter of technological innovation, seeking a message that can unite us in offering some guidance to people who dread the current pace of technological innovation. Because my own life is shaped by computer science and by my Quaker faith, our yearly meeting’s planning committee asked if I would help develop some queries to serve as an introduction to our upcoming session of discernment about technology. Here are the queries I have developed so far:
To examine how well a specific technology contributes to good in our lives, consider:
These questions interact with each other in complex ways, much like new technologies interact with each other with increasing complexity. Rather than evolving along one straight line, technologies evolve along multiple s-curves simultaneously, which would be diagrammed as a tangled jumble of overlapping curves generally trending upward. As renowned computer scientist Ray Kurzeweil describes it, these countless sigmoidal curves amplify and build upon each other, resulting in an overall trend of exponential change — with continuously bigger innovations arriving at a continuously faster pace.
Each sigmoidal growth curve of a technological development begins with an initial phase of slow and careful research and development, a middle phase of rapid innovation, and a final period of stabilization, mirroring biological growth processes. The s-curve also describes the adoption of new technologies by the marketplace, starting with a few “early adopters,” accelerating in a burst of mass production, and finally leveling off as the technology matures and saturates the market. It is important to note that today’s rapid technological advancements are extensions of the entire complex history of human development, each layer of innovation setting the stage for the next leap.
In this context, the Quaker practice of corporate discernment can provide a crucial moderating force within the frequently polarized public debates about technology. On one side, champions of “accelerationism” celebrate the benefits of technological advancement, emphasizing speed and innovation without sufficient regard for potential social or ethical consequences. On the other side, staunch opposition to technological change can highlight legitimate concern over displacement, dehumanization, or environmental harm, even as these arguments primarily serve to legitimize a diffuse and unexamined fear of change. Quaker discernment, with its deep roots in ethical evaluation and community consultation, can act as a fulcrum to balance such extremes. It encourages a thoughtful approach that weighs the benefits of innovation against potential risks, while seeking a path that aligns with the values of integrity, community, and sustainability.
This balanced approach allows Quakers to engage constructively with technology. Rather than blanket acceptance or opposition, Quaker discernment allows its adherents to actively participate in the shaping of new technologies. Throughout Quaker history, Friends have evaluated new technologies in terms of their immediate utility and have tried to account for their long-term impacts on society, the environment, and the spiritual health of individuals and communities. Quakers have long aspired to embrace innovations that enhance human capabilities and foster genuine progress while avoiding damage to communal well-being.
Quaker history is rich with captains of industry. Abraham Darby I, for example, a pioneer of iron smelting, significantly advanced the Industrial Revolution. His innovations decreased the cost of iron production, which laid the groundwork for advancements such as steam engines and railways. His descendants, Abraham Darby II and III, continued to innovate in iron production. Darby III constructed the world’s first cast iron bridge in 1781, which continues standing today as a symbol of industrial progress and technological achievement.
Another notable Quaker, James Finlayson, brought the Industrial Revolution to Finland by establishing a textile industry in Tampere. Originally from Scotland, Finlayson’s mills became so foundational to the city that Tampere is often dubbed the “Manchester of Finland.” Like the Darbys and other Quaker industrialists, Finlayson balanced his business pursuits with his Quaker values, focusing on worker welfare and community benefits within a commercial context.
Of course, with the wisdom of hindsight, many previously unforeseen disasters are clearly the outcomes of technological innovations. The Industrial Revolution can now be seen as the evident source of immeasurable damages to our planetary ecosystems and the social fabric of humanity.
As individual Quakers continue to adopt new technologies, the importance of examining human costs of industrialization and automation becomes paramount. Throughout the original Industrial Revolution and into our present day, human workers have been required to perform certain tedious, repetitive tasks that fall into the “gaps” between machine-driven processes. For example, early industrial textile workers were often tasked with replacing spools on spinning frames that machines could not manage alone. This monotonous work not only underscored the limitations of early industrial machinery, but also highlighted the human toll of industrialization. Physically demanding labor, which was low-paid and under-appreciated, was essential to the industrial process while also standing in a stark contrast to the technological advances that were supposed to alleviate human toil.
The concept of the Mechanical Turk, an 18th-century automaton designed to play chess, but secretly operated by a person hidden within, metaphorically encapsulates these hidden human costs in modern contexts as well. Today, similar scenarios unfold in digital platforms like Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Here, people perform micro-tasks that algorithms cannot, such as image recognition or data verification, often for minimal compensation. This platform, and others like it, reflect a modern iteration of the factory worker’s plight, where human effort is still required for plugging gaps in automation.
Similarly, social media platforms – representing our first significant encounter with artificial intelligence (AI) – require extensive human intervention. Content moderators review and oversee vast quantities of posts with the goal of screening out inappropriate or harmful content. This task can be psychologically traumatic. These moderators often work under high-pressure conditions with little compensation or social support, mirroring the undervalued labor required by other industrial processes. Furthermore, modern generative AI systems also rely heavily on human labor to refine their outputs, which includes reviewers who screen and correct errors produced by the AI.
This situation raises significant ethical concerns about the fair treatment and valuation of human labor in the age of advanced technology and artificial intelligence. Values-based discernment is urgently needed for examining the integration of new technologies into society. This would involve both assessing the benefits that a technology promises and critically evaluating who bears the cost of those advancements. Ideally, technology can be harnessed to enhance human capabilities without sacrificing the dignity and well-being of the individuals behind the scenes.
Quaker discernment provides a vital framework for navigating the complexities of modern technology. By engaging deeply with new technologies’ potentials and pitfalls, Quakers can continue their historical legacy of ethical engagement with industry and innovation. As we face the “second wave” of technological advancements, the queries we pose within our meetings and personal reflections are crucial.
Quakerism can be understood as spiritual technology a set of practices and principles finely tuned to help individuals and communities connect with a deeper spiritual source. This spiritual technology equips us with tools to seek and discern the Inward Light, which then guides us through the challenges posed by external events. Through silent worship and continued openness to revelation, Quakers cultivate a sensitivity to ethical nuances and a commitment to integrity, which we can rely on as we interact with new technologies. This practice of inward reflection feeds into outward testimonies, influencing our civic participation and community discernment, making us well-prepared to evaluate technologies for their utility and contribution to a just and sustainable world.
Brylie Oxley is the webmaster of Western Friend. He enjoys exploring new aspects of creativity and efficiency available through artificial intelligence systems. Brylie lives with his son Elvin in Tampere, Finland, and attends Tampere Monthly Meeting.