Neuroscience & Modernism

[Beton Brut]

Of internet...

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

While overall the article raises some very interesting points, I still feel like the author is picking and choosing which architects to use to justify the hypothesis.

It is also revealing to consider how the detachment people often feel around modern buildings and urban settings closely mirrors the disconnect people with PTSD and ASD often have towards others. It all makes a great deal of sense once you think about it: people who are relationally compromised can’t come up with an architecture that promotes relationships.

I've felt for a long time a similar sentiment about the internet communication and our current political divide. When you are having a face to face conversation with someone you disagree with you more often see their humanity and treat them with respect (most times). But all of that is lost online where you are disconnected from the person and small, subconscious communication is totally lost. Who built the internet and social media? Often it was people with autism. I feel like it was their way of taking control of their condition and creating a system that made it easier for them to communicate. That is wonderful. Except when "normal" people started using it the system completely failed.

 

[Beton Brut]

While overall the article raises some very interesting points, I still feel like the author is picking and choosing which architects to use to justify the hypothesis.

The topic is more interesting than anything that the writer is offering us here.

 

[Arenacale]

I've felt for a long time a similar sentiment about the internet communication and our current political divide. When you are having a face to face conversation with someone you disagree with you more often see their humanity and treat them with respect (most times). But all of that is lost online where you are disconnected from the person and small, subconscious communication is totally lost. Who built the internet and social media? Often it was people with autism. I feel like it was their way of taking control of their condition and creating a system that made it easier for them to communicate. That is wonderful. Except when "normal" people started using it the system completely failed.

I think there's a general trend that engineers (like myself) and engineering types can get fixated on the processes, science, and ultimately solutions of whatever projects they are on and can either be blind to or simply dismissive of any of the collateral damage their work can cause. I often joke that all of us engineers are somewhere on the spectrum, which is not an appropriate thing to say but I also think there is truth in it - the analytical mindset we have can, unchecked, completely disregard things like emotion and aesthetics, and at it's worst will be completely devoid of any acknowledgement of human factors. In a worst case, you get stuff like the development of AI - that it potentially risks the end of humanity as we know it is not enough to overcome the drive to solve the ultimate problem.

In terms of Le Corbusier, the end goal is more benign but the drive is still there. I'm skeptical that his design is "trying to calm a brain abuzz". I believe it's just finding the most highly optimized solution possible.

 

[George_Apley]

I think there's a general trend that engineers (like myself) and engineering types can get fixated on the processes, science, and ultimately solutions of whatever projects they are on and can either be blind to or simply dismissive of any of the collateral damage their work can cause. I often joke that all of us engineers are somewhere on the spectrum, which is not an appropriate thing to say but I also think there is truth in it - the analytical mindset we have can, unchecked, completely disregard things like emotion and aesthetics, and at it's worst will be completely devoid of any acknowledgement of human factors. In a worst case, you get stuff like the development of AI - that it potentially risks the end of humanity as we know it is not enough to overcome the drive to solve the ultimate problem.

In terms of Le Corbusier, the end goal is more benign but the drive is still there. I'm skeptical that his design is "trying to calm a brain abuzz". I believe it's just finding the most highly optimized solution possible.

Definitely. What we have in the 21st century is that many important governmental, corporate, and institutional systems have been captured by the analytic group-think of logicians. There's an overreliance on "spreadsheet solutions" that dehumanize social problems. It's at least partially driven the backlash against "neoliberal" policies on both the political right (towards nationalism) and left (towards socialism).