Printing Press Pause

 

Dear Johannes,

It seems like only yesterday that type wasn’t moveable. But now it is, thanks to your terrifying machine. You know what’s going to happen now don’t you? We’re going to be flooded with propaganda and untruth, not to mention “misinformation,” “disinformation,” and information we can’t yet verify. Plus, old fashioned information isn't meant for everyone either. 

Remember when folks in the village trusted their priests to know Latin? I didn’t bother reading the Bible back then, that was their job. I had better things to do, like avoiding the plague, checking on my crops, and cleaning my privy. Our religious leaders told us what to think, what to say, and how much to put in the collection plate. I'm not a math guy. You’ve made it easier for everyone to get access to God’s word. Shouldn’t there be some middleman involved? God doesn’t have time to speak directly to his flock. Otherwise, what’s the point of having priests? They need to work, too. 

I long for the days of hand copying over mead and mutton. Would my wrist ache? Would my fingers swell? Would my eyes begin to bulge? Of course, but I was learning essential components of ascetic discipline. You think a machine doing in a single day what would take months for a team of men is fair? These hand copiers have mouths to feed – and that’s not including their own. That’s to say nothing of geese and swans who willingly provide their feathers for the greater good of penmanship. Imagine not needing a quill to write? I might actually cry over spilled ink.  

It’s 1440, Johannes, we need to take a breath. This letter was poorly written by hand two months ago, but we couldn’t get it under your doorstep until today. We had to find everyone and get them to sign in person. Not so easy. Imagine if the mail was altered in the same way you changed printing? Scary, huh? That’s why the signatories of this letter are calling on a 6 year pause on all “printing press” ventures. If not, we’re prepared to ask the King to put you in jail. Not just for your own good, but for the whole of humanity. This is serious stuff. 

I sometimes think that the burning of the library of Alexandria was a good thing, in that it made people take seriously what they put down on paper. And, as you know, paper is quite flammable. This invention of yours is a powerful tool. But think of the harm it may cause. Can good come of it? Maybe, but we haven’t considered that possibility and won’t because negative things are much easier to visualize for panicked ignoramuses, especially under a raging mob’s burning torchlight. 

Be careful, Johannes. I don’t think you understand what you’ve done. We should take a step back. Frankly, The Dark Ages weren’t that long ago. That was a simpler time, dare I say, a better time. I hope you realize that you didn’t create a monster. You created an infinite number of monsters. 

Instead of the printing press, why couldn't you have put your obvious intelligence to good use and revolutionized the garlic press? Now that's something in desperate need of innovation.