工具之奴

汤姆·马洪

The digital revolution promised so much at the outset1： computers would make air travel safer， health care more affordable， and education more widely available.

But for all the evident benefits—and there are many—the tools have taken over the toolmakers.

—Complex algorithms2， beyond human understanding， replace even the most high-valued jobs， including the jobs of algorithm writers;

—Yet even as jobs and income disappear， mobile devices bombarded with3 messages urging endless consumption of finite resources. The resulting frustration is leveraged4 by powerful media to keep the public in a state of fury5 and frenzy6;

—What jobs do remain demand that we work at superhuman speed to keep up with superfast silicon systems;

—Opaque institutions demand that our lives be absolutely transparent to them， even as hackers can rob us of our very identities;

—Wall Street and Silicon Valley are allied in putting impenetrable7 walls around ideas （IP8） in order to monetize9 those ideas （IPOs10）， creating an economy that puts a price on everything， but is unmindful11 of the value of anything.

When greed， gain and self-aggrandizement are the inputs， then waste， rapacity and rage are the outputs， ravaging12 the environmental， communal and personal spheres.

And even as we are increasingly drawn into the dark side of the digital ecosystem， it’s increasingly obvious that extrication13 is increasingly difficult.

So where do we go from here？

First， consider that the purpose of tools is to leverage our limited human abilities in order to accomplish ever-greater results. Archimedes14 said， “With a lever long enough， and a fulcrum15 strong enough， I can lift the world.” And he could if he had a place in space on which to rest the fulcrum.

Tools developed in three phases over history. From early on， they leveraged our muscles. With the six simple tools of antiquity—the lever， pulley， screw， wheel， inclined plane， and wedge—our ancestors created civilizations： clearing fields， draining swamps， and building temples and towers for the gods they imagined and the powerful who controlled them.

Then about 400 years ago， our ancestors began to develop tools to extend the senses： first， the telescope and microscope， and later the radio and television， allowing them to see far out， deep down， and long ago.

Beginning in the early 20th Century， we developed tools to extend our brains： computers， the Internet， smart devices， the ‘Cloud.’

But even as our ancestors developed tools over time to leverage their muscles， senses and brains， they also developed tools to leverage their soul， or atman16， or psyche， so as to be composed within themselves， and thus try to establish just and civil societies. These spiritual technologies included prayer， meditation， chi gong， yoga， ethical standards， communal worship…

In the past century， revolutions in transportation and communication have enabled the leveraging of spiritual technologies profoundly.

With soul-tools， especially non-violent resistance， Gandhi17 and his followers brought down the British raj18; Dr. King19 and his followers brought an end to the Jim Crow laws20 in America; and Mandela21， de Klerk22， et. al. ended apartheid23 in South Africa. And these world-changing events were accomplished with minimal violence.

But Gandhi and others showed it is not enough to bring down24 wicked regimes. There must be livable alternatives.

Beyond taking a stand against the leveraging of waste and rage， we need to incorporate the two universal pillars of wisdom—composure and compassion—into our use of tools.

How？ First， whenever you use a tool—whether a shovel， a pencil， or a supercomputer—do so in a composed frame of mind. That isn’t possible most of the time， especially in work situations， but it is something to be aware of and to strive for.

Then， to the extent possible， consider the outcomes at the other end of the leveraging process. When you apply energy to any tool， the results are usually much greater than the inputs. That is the whole purpose of leverage and of tools. Strive therefore so that the outcomes manifest25 kindness， or at a minimum26 cause no pain and do no evil.

When jangledness27 of mind is present at the inputs， the outcomes will be jangled and hurtful. And people at the receiving end are then likely to express that anger and pain in their own tool use.

And so the cycle of violence propagates and increases with each spin of the wheel. Gandhi and others showed that the pernicious28 cycle could only be broken when we are composed in our tool use.

So to the extent possible， be mindful of that when you put energy into a tool. And strive for outcomes that manifest kindness and compassion， even if you never see those results.

This model—of composed and mindful inputs leveraged to produce kind and compassionate outcomes—is admittedly not possible for most people much of the time. And by itself it is not a panacea29 for all the environmental， communal and personal despoliation30 resulting from tool use run amok. We have a long， hard slog ahead of us. But every individual effort in that direction， however small， does represent a step in reconnecting technical capability with social and moral responsibility.

There is a second process we can initiate when the rush and disruptions of the digital revolution wear us down31. Find others who share your concerns， your situation， your pressures， and then meet and talk with them. Alcoholics Anonymous， among other recovery programs， is good example of how this works： regular meetings with like-minded people provide the chance to speak， with assurance of privacy， about how they are dealing—or not dealing—with stress and pressures in their own lives. Sharing concerns with others similarly afflicted， in a safe place， is a proven first step in dealing with them.

From such meetings at the local level， a new economy of sharing， bartering32 and promoting the common good may emerge to create meaningful work， and counter the current corrupting global financial system whereby one’s gain comes only at another’s loss.

Individual efforts to be composed when using tools， so as to leverage kindness in the outcomes， can in turn be leveraged by joining with others to share， inspire and protect.

These actions alone do not represent the beginning of the end of the negative consequences of the technology revolution. But they may be the end of the beginning—of the feeling of helplessness and hopelessness brought about by the growing awareness that we are now the tools of our tools.

If we had the ingenuity33 to invent the devices that increasingly control us， we also have the ingenuity to reclaim our rightful ownership of our tools， so that humane inputs will secure more just， healthy and benevolent34 outputs.

Pray for peace; work for justice.

In closing， here is a short verse that speaks to the essence of our current condition：

Nature is how universe-mind touches our mind.

Tools—technology—are how our mind touches universe-mind.

When these minds are aligned， there is success-in-living.

When they are misaligned， there will be catastrophe.

Mindfulness in our tool-use is essential now，

For our success， our sanity， our survival.

起初，数字革命前景无限：计算机将让飞行更安全、医疗更便宜、教育更普及。

尽管一众好处显而易见——也确实不少——但工具已凌驾于制造者之上并取而代之。

——超越人类理解能力的复杂算法，可以取代人完成那些最重要的工作，包括算法编写;

——如今，即便人们没了工作和收入，移动设备仍会进行信息轰炸，鼓动人们不停消耗有限的资源。由此产生的挫败感被强大的媒体利用，让公众陷入愤怒与狂躁。

——即便还没丢掉工作，但我们被迫超速运转，以跟上高速运行的电脑系统;

——非公开透明机构要求我们的生活对其完全透明，黑客趁机得以窃取我们真实的身份信息;

——华尔街和硅谷联手在各种创意四周筑起知识产权的铜墙铁壁，通过上市募股来汲取财富，创造出一种只管为万物定价、却不顾其价值几何的经济。

如果投入的是贪婪、逐利与自我膨胀，得到的就会是浪费、掠夺与肆虐，危害环境、公共领域及私人生活。

当我们日益卷入数字生态系统的黑暗之中，挣脱的難度也与日俱增，这一点越来越明显。

面对这种情况，我们该怎么办？

首先，明确使用工具的目的是弥补人类有限的能力，以取得更大成效。阿基米德曾说：“给我一根足够长的杠杆，一个足够稳固的支点，我就能撬起整个地球。”是的。如果能在太空中找到一个可靠的支点，他可以做到。

历史上，工具发展可分为三个阶段。在人类社会早期，工具增强了我们的力量。利用六种简易古代工具——杠杆、滑轮、螺丝、轮子、斜面和楔子——祖先们创造了人类文明：清理田地、排干沼泽、为心中的神灵和强权统治阶级修建殿堂和塔楼。

大约400年前，我们的先人开始创造工具来延伸感官：先是望远镜和显微镜，再是收音机和电视机，以便能看得更远、更深、更早。

从20世纪初开始，我们陆续开发出一系列工具来延伸大脑：计算机、互联网、智能设备和“云”。

随着时间推移，我们的祖先不仅通过工具来运用肌力、感官与头脑，他们还创造出一系列工具来提升灵魂、自我或心智，旨在不断令内心平和，建立起公正、文明的社会。这些精神层面的技术包括祈祷、冥想、气功、瑜伽、道德标准、集体崇拜……

在过去的一个世纪，交通与通信革命让精神技术的提升得到充分显现。

利用精神工具，尤其是非暴力抵抗，甘地及其追随者推翻了英国对印度的殖民统治;金博士及其追随者终结了美国的吉姆·克劳法;曼德拉、德克勒克等人终结了南非的种族隔离。这些改变世界格局的事件仅通过最低程度的暴力便得以实现。

但是甘地等人的事迹表明，推翻邪恶政权是不够的，还必须有其他可行的方案。

在坚决反对浪费与肆虐的基础上，我们还需要把人类智慧的两大支柱——冷静与关爱——融入工具使用过程中。

如何做呢？首先，当你使用一种工具时——不管是一把铲子、一支铅笔或是一台超级计算机——都应该使头脑保持一种冷静的状态。这种状态在很多时候都难以保持，尤其是在工作中，但这正是我们要意识到并尽力保持的状态。

其次，要尽可能考虑到工具产生的结果。无论哪种工具，输出的能量通常远远大于输入的能量。这也正是使用杠杆和工具的目的所在。因此，要谨慎行事，尽可能让结果呈现出善意，或至少不要造成他人的痛苦，不要作恶。

如果输入的是烦躁思绪，那输出的结果必定烦乱、伤人。接受者拿起工具有可能将这种愤怒与痛苦传递下去。

这样一来，暴力就会循环往复，不断增加。甘地等人证明，只有当我们冷静地使用工具时，才有可能打破这种恶性循环。

因此，当你使用某种工具时，要尽可能意识到这一点，尽力让结果表现出善意与关爱，即便你永远看不到那些结果。

这种模式——利用冷静、用心的投入来得到善意、友爱的结果——在很多时候对大多数人来说都是不可能的。对于由工具失控而导致的各种环境、公共和个人掠夺行为而言，它也不是灵丹妙药。前路漫长而艰难。但是，沿着这条道路，每个人所做的努力，无论多么微小，都将推动技术能力与社会及道德责任之间的连接。

如果数字革命的疾速与混乱让人疲惫不堪，那我们可以开启第二个进程。找那些和你有相同忧虑、处境和压力的人，和他们见面并交谈。在一些康复项目中，匿名戒酒会就是一个样例：在确保隐私的前提下，与志趣相投者定期会面，让人们有机会交流，讲述他们如何应对或放任生活中的各种压力。在一个安全的地方，与经历相似的人分享内心忧虑，已被证明是应对问题的第一步。

在这种本地聚会中，一种能够共享、交换和增进共同利益的新兴经济或将兴起，并产生深远影响，对抗当前腐败的、自身收益只能建立在他人亏损上的全球金融体系。

在工具使用过程中，每个人都要保持冷静，在结果中表现出善意。这样的话，我们的努力就会对他人产生作用，引导他们像我们一样去分享、激发和保护这份善意。

这些行为本身并不意味着技术革命带来的负面影响开始消退。但是，它们或许能消除一种苗头——日益意识到自己正沦为工具之奴后所产生的那种无助或绝望感。

如果说我们当初有足够智慧创造出那些日益控制我们的工具，我们同样也有能力收回对工具合理的操控。只有这样，人性化的操作才能产生更为公正的、健康的、有益的结果。

祈祷和平，致力公正。

最后，这首短诗点明了人类现状：

自然是天意对心智的点拨。

工具——技术——是心智对天意的响应。

心智与天意相合，存生机一线。

心智与天意相悖，恐大难临头。

工具之用，谨慎为道。

志在成功、明理与生存。

（译者单位：南京航空航天大学）