<story><title>James C. Scott, author of Seeing Like a State, has died</title><url>https://nitter.poast.org/GerardoMunck/status/1815059432382067053</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>sameoldtune</author><text>The concepts in Seeing Like A State are very relevant to programmers and to anyone trying to “change the world” with technology. One of the main points is that for a state to manage many people it tends to use power (hard and soft) to homogenize the populace. My belief is that tech necessarily does the same thing. Everyone in your app has permissions defined by some enum, a limited number of actions available, content moderation machinery.&lt;p&gt;This has effects that are inescapable, especially in the fields of medicine, mental health, education, social engagement. Tech makes our levers to move the Earth more efficient, but at the cost of a lack of diversity of thought, lifestyle, and value.</text></comment>
<story><title>James C. Scott, author of Seeing Like a State, has died</title><url>https://nitter.poast.org/GerardoMunck/status/1815059432382067053</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>beedeebeedee</author><text>I met him once but never took a class. I wish I had because I enjoyed listening to
him. Deeply knowledgeable and great intellect. We spoke mostly about the Making of the English Working Class by E. P. Thompson, which is worth reading by everyone in the US and UK (and elsewhere). The other great book by James C. Scott is Weapons of the Weak.</text></comment>