Forget post-literacy. I prefer post-complexity. (Ah, but for a niggling doubt.)
Interest in post-literacy is driven by the assumed need to master the so-called complexities of life. Life is increasing in complexity, they say, so we need more sophisticated information tools. The internet, cognitive prosthetics, and so on.
Forget post-literacy. I prefer post-complexity. That’s right, post-complexity. The universe is simply too large. Entropy forbids that we will ever get organized enough to keep up with it. Complexity is a bottomless pit. It makes more sense to witness the rich diversity of life, in both wonder and pain. Do not scrape too little butter over too much toast. Do not try to conquer a kingdom, but homestead one place in the wild. What it lacks in breadth will reward you with definition, understanding, character, and belonging. Forget post-literacy. Take simplicity.
Ah, but for a niggling doubt. Sometimes, with energy, complexity is mastered, for a spell. Galactic clusters may span four billion light years. Perhaps only once, on one blue planet, consciousness may emerge. Why? Was it worth the trouble? In any system, growing in complexity, falling apart as it must, there is a moment of emergence, maintained only by increasing energy and work. Is it worth it? I confess that I find consciousness, if nothing else, irresistibly interesting.
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