 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
Where there is delight in a process, there will be style, and the activity of production will itself have aesthetic quality. But when men assimilate themselves to machines and value only the consequences of their work, not the work itself, style disappears, to be replaced by something which to the mechanised man appears more natural, though in fact it is only more brutal.
Source: Bertrand Russell: In praise of artificiality, Sept. 9, 1931.
In: Mortals and Others, v.1 (1975)
More info.: https://russell-j.com/ARTIFICI.HTM
* a brief comment (Translated with DeepL.com)
We see what Russell is trying to say, the claim that 'style will disappear and be replaced by something that looks more natural to a mechanised man', but what exactly is 'something that looks more natural to a mechanised man' in place of 'style'?
When I asked ChatGPT to try, I received the following response.
'In this claim by Bertrand Russell, 'what looks more natural to a mechanised man' instead of 'style' could be the following specific examples:
- Efficiency-oriented design and processes:
... where standardised methods and designs are used rather than uniqueness and aesthetics, because work and production prioritise efficiency. For example, the design of mass-produced goods becomes simple and functional.
- Mechanical and uniform operations and procedures:
This is a situation where humans repeat the same actions like machines and individual ingenuity and inventiveness are eliminated. Examples include simple work on conveyor belts in factories.
- Inorganic, function-oriented environments and products:
An environment or product in which the emphasis is solely on functionality and human sensitivity and aesthetics are disregarded. For example, tasteless office spaces and inorganic urban environments devoid of decoration.
- Result-oriented ways of working:
A way of working in which only the end result or outcome is valued, not the work process. This devalues creativity and satisfaction in the work process.
Russell states that these conditions lead to a loss of 'style' and aesthetic quality in human activity and production. The result is that what feels 'natural' to mechanised humans is in fact a 'barbaric' condition devoid of creativity and humanity.