Analysis Of What Are People For? By Wendell Berry

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Humanity’s technological progressions have separated us from other species, but what are the motives of this progress? And are they truly for the better good? In this passage from What Are People For?, Wendell Berry argues that technology is motivated by greed for money and ease when it should be focused on improving communities and loving God, our families, and our country. But does a desire for money mean that people don’t love these things? No. On the contrary, it is often motivated by the fundamental trait of humanity to care for their family and community. Wendell Berry argues that “the aim” of technological progress “cannot be the integrity or happiness of our families, which we have made subordinate to the education system, the television industry, and the consumer economy” (3-5). But it is two of these things that are often an element of caring for one’s family. Caring for one’s family entails that someone works their hardest to give the best possible life and future for them. One of humanities aims is still the integrity of those close to them, which often it is ensured through …show more content…

Yet there are infinite examples of technologies which have the exact purpose of doing these things that have had extreme success. One prominent example of this is the cellphone. Before the cellphone was invented, if a family member moved, they would be complete diverged from their family with no hope of being able to communicate with them. But today, even if a father or mother is away because of work, their children will not have to suffer from the agony of not being able to see their family. Because of the cell phone, family bonds have become stronger than ever as physical barriers between parents and children cannot inhibit emotional

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