Chapter 1: The Interconnection of Culture and Technology

The late Andrew Breitbart, renowned for his conservative digital publication, famously stated that “politics flows from culture.” His assertion highlighted the need to garner public support for conservative ideals by first engaging with cultural narratives. In a 2009 conversation with the National Policy Council, he expressed frustration over the lack of long-term investment in cultural institutions:

"Every election cycle, affluent donors are urged to contribute millions, focusing on a few critical counties in Ohio. But why didn’t we invest two decades ago in Hollywood films, TV programming, or institutions that embody America’s virtues?"

While there’s validity in Breitbart's perspective, it overlooks a crucial truth: politics and culture are interconnected, neither existing in isolation. Winning a political battle is futile without first gaining ground in the cultural arena. However, the question remains—what is the foundation of this cultural battleground? Can we merely finance a film studio in Hollywood and expect to shift cultural paradigms?

During my university studies, an anthropology professor referred to pivotal Stone Age sites as “cultures,” highlighting their technological characteristics. There were the Oldowan, Chellean, and Acheulean cultures, each defined by the unique shapes and sizes of their tools.

This specific use of “culture” intrigued me, as I had always associated the term with a broader array of beliefs, rituals, arts, and technologies. I realized that the emphasis on technology wasn’t merely due to the scarcity of other evidence about our ancestors. Rather, technology profoundly impacts all other cultural aspects.

In his book “Ideas,” philosopher Edmund Husserl articulated:

"The world is not merely a collection of facts but a realm of values and practical goods. Without any additional effort, I perceive objects as possessing not only their inherent qualities but also value attributes—beautiful or ugly, pleasant or unpleasant."

Other thinkers, such as Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, echoed this sentiment, examining how new technologies develop an immediacy that can render them almost invisible in our daily experiences. We often integrate these technologies into our lives to the point where they fade from our conscious thought.

To illustrate, I’ll share two personal experiences. One of my passions is playing the piano. When I perform a familiar piece, I no longer consciously notice the keys; my fingers instinctively know how to move, producing the right sounds. Interestingly, if I miss a note, I may need to repeat the entire phrase to regain my rhythm.

Another hobby of mine is hockey. When I handle the puck, I feel it through my stick and gloves, as if they have become extensions of my own body. My connection to the puck is immediate—unless my stick breaks, at which point I suddenly become acutely aware of its existence.

The philosophers' point is that technologies can embody not just practical values, such as the correct technique for using a tool, but also broader cultural values that alter our worldview.

Take the American relationship with firearms as an example. Many gun owners argue their weapons are vital for protection. However, could it be that owning a gun, especially if one practices open or concealed carry, influences how they perceive and interact with their surroundings? Perhaps a heightened sense of threat arises from widespread gun ownership rather than the opposite.

This perspective on technology's influence on culture is compelling, but I would add an essential nuance: our minds are predisposed to be shaped by technology because of how they evolved.

The biologist W.D. Hamilton insightfully remarked, “the tabula of human nature was never rasa and is now being read.” Evolutionary psychologists often liken our minds to Swiss Army knives, equipped with various modules tailored to specific tasks. Collectively, these modules make up what psychologists refer to as our “intuitive ontology.”

Visualize your intuitive ontology as a set of fundamental categories, each accompanied by its own reasoning mechanisms. There are categories for “person,” “animal,” “plant,” etc. For tool-using beings, our minds also distinguish between “natural objects” and “artifacts.”

Technologies can seamlessly integrate into, and subsequently reshape, our perspectives because our minds have pre-existing frameworks ready for that purpose.

Let’s return to our central theme. If the insights from psychology and philosophy hold true, it would be naive to assume that merely having a loud voice will secure victory in the culture war. To influence culture effectively, one must be able to guide or at least respond to technological evolution.

Regrettably for pro-capitalist conservatives, this is a challenge they face. Economist Josef Schumpeter articulated that capitalism is characterized by “creative destruction,” which he defined as a continual process that revolutionizes the economic framework, perpetually dismantling the old while creating the new.

Technological advancement drives this creative destruction, fostering not only new businesses but entire sectors. These significant economic transformations inevitably lead to substantial cultural shifts, and now we understand why.

Some cultures have managed to resist the upheavals brought about by technological advancement, but they do so by isolating themselves from it. Consider hunter-gatherer societies that maintain ancient lifestyles or groups like the Amish. Initially, I viewed their decision to halt technological progress in the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries as arbitrary, but it makes sense in the context of preserving their traditions.

For conservatives aiming to win the culture war, it is crucial to recognize that capitalism may not be their ally.

The first video, "Politics is Downstream from Culture, but the Opposite is True as Well," explores the intricate relationship between culture and politics, emphasizing how cultural narratives shape political landscapes.

The second video, "The Power of Culture: Shaping Behavior through Technology," delves into the influence of technology on cultural dynamics and how this interaction affects societal behavior.