Advances in technology are commonly viewed as beneficial to mankind. However, as Nicholas Carr points out, new technologies are not just neutral, passive tools that aid people; they have a profound effect on the way humans actually think. Therefore, since our thoughts and perceptions have been altered, we may no longer be in the position to think critically about these technologies and be able to judge just how beneficial they actually are.
Carr's essay focuses on the Internet, but he uses some historical examples to show how new inventions have changed the way people think. For example, the invention of the clock led to the perception that time was a separate, measurable entity, set apart from human activity. Where once people lived their lives according to their senses, the clock started to dictate when people should work, eat and sleep.
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