Newsgroups: bit.listserv.ethics-l
Date:         Tue, 10 Nov 1992 17:26:07 -0500
From:         vwsetzer@IME.USP.BR
Subject: Re: Children and Computers,
Comments: To: ETHICS-L%UGA.bitnet@lion.cce.usp.br

WHMurray writes (Sat, 7 Nov 1992):

>When I read Valdemar Setzer's Luddite diatribe about children and
>computers,

>Val can get on his high horse if he likes.  He can as well hold back
the
>tides as influence the relation between children and the computer.  As
a
>teacher, he is made anxious by his loss of control.  He feels as
Socrates
>felt about written language and the Church about the printing press.


Thank you for the personal attacks. They show me that I am in the right

path. I have to clarify some points (don't take them as a defense,
please).
Re Luddites: If a parent tells me he is going to destroy the videogames
his children are using, I will be very happy and congratulate him. If
he tells me he is going to destroy other people's videogames I will be
sad,
and tell him he does not have the (moral) right to do that. I also
consider myself a member of the end of the 20th century, and would not
like to return to the past, as for instance the beginning and middle of
the
19th century.
Re tides: certaily not every tide is a good one. If I am against one of
them, I will fight against it. How? Trying to show other people that
it is not good for humanity. Everyone has to take his own actions, at
home, in class. I am against prohibitions and forcing people to do
something.
Re teacher: I am not a "teacher". I am an university professor (52
years
old) of Computer Science working in this field since 1964. My areas
of research are Compiling Theory and Construction,
Databases and Software "Engeneering". I have absolutely no "loss of
control". My students (mostly senior undergrads and graduates) design
and
implement large projects (such as a complete compiler for C written in
C++)
and I would like to give them much more computer power than they have.
On
the other hand, I have been teaching a course on Social and Individual
Impacts of Computers since 1974 (basic text: Weizenbaum's "Computer
Power
and Human Reason") where I show the students that computers may cause
lots
of problems, both individually and socially. So when I speak about
computers, I know what I am doing. My four children went to our local
Waldorf School (the youngest one is finishing its highschool next
month),
I taught Math there for 2 years (about 16 years ago) and have been
studying Steiner's works for 31 years, including his and other
types of education. So I know what I am talking about when I am saying
that from the Waldorf Education point of view, *any* use of computers
in elementary education is a *crime* commited against humanity. But I
am not the Luddite type: if a parent does not agree with my
arguments and lets his children use his computers, puts them in front of
a TV set and gives them videogames, puts his children in a school which
uses
computers in education, well, I will be extremely sorry for his
children (as for WHMurray's godson), but I will do absolutely nothing
to prevent him from doing so. This parent will be just following the
tide,
as WHMurray is. I am not a tide follower.
I am not against technology (otherwise I would not be teaching CS and
using a computer exactly at this moment); I am against its bad use,
mainly when it turns humans into animals or machines.

To Barbara Marantz (Tue, 3 Nov 1992): I really appreciate your interest
in reading my arguments. Unfortunately, I do not have much time to
dedicate
to this list. It takes me a long time to write an understandable mail
in English; I will have to write many lines to present an abstract of
my
arguments, so please wait a little bit. I have not forgotten your
request
and, yes, I am always with you in the list (have been since last year).

Valdemar W. Setzer
Dept. of Computer Science
University of Sao Paulo
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU