21st Century Control

As the amount of information concerning anything of interest escalates exponentially via the unrelenting growth of our Internet usage, all attempts at managing that information eventually fail. We throw up our hands in overwhelmed exasperation.

Fifteen years ago, Kevin Kelly wrote about the coming of this day in Out of Control. In it, he quotes Lao Tzu:

Intelligent control appears as uncontrol or freedom.
And for that reason it is genuinely intelligent control.
Unintelligent control appears as external domination.
And for that reason it is really unintelligent control.
Intelligent control exerts influence without appearing to do so.
Unintelligent control tries to influence by making a show of force.
And for that reason it is really unintelligent control.

Somehow, through the combination of our social nature and our technical wizardry, we will gain a measure of transparent, intelligent, control that will enable us to take advantage of the superabundance of information now available to us, the meaning of which is still tantalizingly just beyond our grasp. Today's search engines are only the first steps on the road we are traveling.

Comments

[Ken G.]

I love that, "Intelligent control appears as uncontrol or freedom." It's related to another Lao Tzu line I often find myself quoting, "When the best leader completes a task the people say 'We did it ourselves.'" Intelligent control!

[thexyz]

Good article, thanks.

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Regards
Alexander