TECHNOCRATS: A POSTMODERN PEAN

Technocrats, the story goes,
Will solve the horrid mess-
Where ethics fail, the gadgets work
And will bring about success.
Just plug it in and hit the key
And let the old brain rest;
Just what we should or should not do
Technology can answer best.
But gadgets they may be the cause
Of the Angst the people feel,
For science is cold and does not care,
About the commonweal.
Old Kant still whispers his moral laws
But few still hear his voice;
All’s relative and there is no truth,
Just leave it to personal choice.
Computers buzz and wheels go ‘round
And Bentham and Mill are dead;
The person’s free to do his thing
Morality has all gone to bed.
All is freedom and self-esteem,
Leaving conscience as the guide,
The world is fun and is a game
With technocracy by my side.
I am the Postmodern Man,
And man means woman, too;
What is the purpose of our lives?
There’s not the slightest clue.
We do our race through cyberspace
And compose the digital thunder;
Just how technology does for the soul
Causes me to wonder.
- John Calhoun Merrill (1924-2012)