1. By Bosephus farthingale
Advance and Retreat
By Bosephus farthingale

2. What makes us American?
We value technological innovation and progress… …but that progress does not always come without a cultural cost.

3. Technological advancements in american history
Cotton Gin
1793
Increasing demand for slave labor in the South

4. Technological advancements in American history
Winchester repeating rifle
1873
Destruction of Sioux tribes of the Great Plains

5. Technological advancements in American history
Advent of Youtube
2005
We all get to be famous!

6. The backlash
As technology has advanced, American writers have pondered the toll this progress has taken on our social, emotional, and spiritual health.

7. The transcendentalist response
Mid-19th century
Transcendentalist writers ask:
Is technology a blessing or a curse?
Does innovation make us better humans?
Advocate self-reflection

8. Ralph waldo emerson 1803-1882 “Father of American Transcendentalism”
Founded the Transcendentalist Club
Key writers: Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Amos Bronson Alcott

9. Key tenets of transcendentalism
Understanding nature brings us closer to God
Since we are part of God, we are divine
Human beings are born pure, but society corrupts us
We must look inward to understand the truth, not let religion or society tell us what is right and wrong

10. Emerson advocates a return to nature
“[In Nature] I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God” (Nature).
In Nature, humans can come to understand their oneness with God
By withdrawing from the commercial, sensory world, humans can get rid of the self-centeredness that distracts them from the divine

11. How do we become truly self-reliant?
Become a transparent eyeball!
In nature, you can see all…
…but no one can see you!

12. Henry david thoreau 1817-1862 Disciple of Emerson
Abandoned his family’s expectations and became a transcendentalist
Lived in a cabin on Walden Pond for two years

13. Walden: or, life in the woods
Retreat from the world in order to “suck the marrow of life”
An experiment in self-reliance
Walden is a record of Thoreau’s thoughts during the two years he stayed there

14. Thoreau’s quest for transcendence
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (Walden).
Only by leaving behind the distractions of modern life can we truly discover a more transcendent experience
We do not benefit from technology; we are enslaved by it

15. Do we control technology, or does it control us?
“We do not ride on the railroad; it rides on us.” --Henry David Thoreau
The building of the transcontinental railroad…
…required the exploitation of black and Chinese laborers.

16. Michael Pollan 1955- American writer, journalist, and activist
Writes about the damage industrialization causes to the human psyche
Focus on food as our connection to the natural world

17. Pollan warns against “industrial eating”
He wants Americans to eat “by the grace of nature, not industry” (The Omnivore’s Dilemma).
The way we eat represents our most profound connection to the natural world
Industrial eating obscures our understanding of the relationship between humans and the environment
By growing and preparing as much of our own food as possible, we can return to a more responsible and spiritually conscious way of life

18. Industrial eating vs. ethical eating
If we don’t know where our food comes from… …we’re less tied to the natural world.

19. Technology and the american experience today
It is still possible to reflect on and change the ways we allow technology to interfere with truly living
Our identity, as Americans, involves valuing innovation and progress
We shouldn’t accept progress without questioning the social cost

20. Questions to consider
How much does our dependence on screens shield us from true connections with ourselves, each other, and the world around us?
Do we control our technology, or does it control us?
Should we follow Thoreau’s advice and…