Irving Finkel

the essence of humanity, because I think that the modern adherence to the electronic universe is disastrous for humans, and because it reduces the vitality of the human component.

I think it's restrictive in a way that people don't realize until it's too late.

Like drugs.

If you take drugs now and again, you think, oh, it's fine, it's fine.

Then suddenly you realize you're addicted to heroin.

It's a bit like that.

People use the electronic world like an addictive drug and they can't get through without it.

And I think this is a very recent thing, but I suppose it's not I'm a Luddite and say we shouldn't have railway engines and we shouldn't have kettles.

But I think

And one of the things about the ancient world was that people never went anywhere, unless they were merchants or soldiers.

They never went anywhere.

Probably people born and died in a village, and then their children born and died in the village, and they never knew anything about the outside world.

Maybe very little.

Sometimes there'd be a message, but in principle, they had no idea about other countries, other languages.

or how big they were on it.

So I don't think they had wisdom in a way that you could type out following precepts will make life better.

Because they told lies and they esteemed the truth and they fell in love and they committed adultery and they did murder and they did all the things.

I think in a way the ancient world allowed human beings to behave more naturally than it does now.

the world in which we live.

I mean, if you do live in a rustic environment or by the sea or you're a fisherman, I mean, all those normal, real kind of things, then it's probably all right.