Аннотация: A technical culture: degradation. The essay on a history of culture.
A technical culture: degradation. The essay on a history of culture.
In addition to the general (common) culture, there is a technical culture - that is, a culture of interaction between humans and complex objects (technical and other devices, living organisms, etc.).
The well-known case, when an official of high rank forced employee to jump to catch a keys (from donated equipment), can be simplified and schematized.
We can to see the relationship, the interconnection between a political power holder and a specialist serving a complex technical device.
In the above-mentioned situation, the holder of political power demonstrates a lack of respect for the technical specialist, and the technical specialist demonstrates a lack of respect for himself, his social role and his special knowledge.
Looking at this situation, we better understand the reasons for the degradation of technical culture in the Russian Federation.
We can compare - by different parameters - those involved in political power and those involved in complex knowledge.
The official media prompts that supposedly science and technology in Russia are developing dynamically.
Some areas of activity can be covered by a veil of confidentiality. It's possible to give examples from this area - and to demonstrate a huge progress.
That is exactly what is being done. It is difficult to object to examples taken from a confidential sphere. And the goal is achieved. "We are ahead of the all the planet!"
However, technical culture is a phenomenon largely uniform and unified.
The difference in levels of technical culture is unlikely.
History knows the fact when comrade Beria created a team of several dozen prominent scientists, and the rest of the population of USSR wasn't involved in a high science.
However, the activities of the group of talented, outstanding scientists, under the patronage of comrade Beria, were supported by the activities of people who transmitted valuable information from foreign scientific centers.
So, on the one hand, a "group of talented scientists" is a historically exclusive phenomenon.
On the other hand, in the USSR huge efforts were made to increase the level of technical culture.
The holders of technical culture - specialists - increased in number, had a high material and social status, actively went to the state and party apparatus.
As a result of these efforts, the USSR had a sufficient number of people with a sufficient level of technical culture - to service and apply technical devices invented by a group of talented scientists under the patronage of comrade Beria.
With the decline of a number of economic indicators in the USSR, the level of technical culture, however, did not decrease. It, sometimes, increased. What is proved by the implementation of the 'Buran' project.
However, it is also possible to recall the Chernobyl disaster, which signaled the emergence in the USSR in the 1980s and the opposite trend.
As for today, we can judge the decline in the level, the degradation of technical culture on such grounds as constant news about accidents, about the improper technical condition (pre-accident condition) of vehicles (ships, aircraft, etc.), infrastructure facilities.
Vehicles and infrastructure cannot be covered by a privacy curtain by definition.
And the beautiful picture of the development of science and technology in modern Russia, offered by official media, loses its beauty.
The degradation of technical culture is interdependent with the degradation of general culture (development of criminal culture).
One of the reasons for this complex phenomenon is the increasing reliance on violence in political and social processes, lack of deep and complex knowledge, lack of respect for complex knowledge, to the holders of knowledge, the emergence and promotion of iconic semi-literate figures seeking to occupy central positions in public life, formation of various professional and other communities, where the main value is not complex knowledge, but loyalty to the community.
In the current situation, the prospects for improving the level of technical culture are not favorable.
I note that the scene of jumping to catch the keys resembles the scenes of jumping (from the water) the inhabitants of the "whale prison" behind the fish, which were in the hands of the employees of the "whale prison."
January 25, 2020 20:29
Translation from Russian into English: January 25, 2020 22:32.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Техническая культура: деградация. Очерк'.