Rushkoff Levy No Time To Think Summary

How we contemplate time is always changing. Due to acceleration we are left with little if any time to think and contemplate our work and our lives. Levy uses many key terms in his article, one term he uses is acceleration. Acceleration is the increase of speed or progress of something. Levy uses acceleration to describe the process of how technology is speeding up our lives. Another key term that Levy uses in his article is contemplation. Contemplations is thinking or considering doing something. Levy uses the term contemplation in the context of how society can no longer think due to how technology has busied our lives. Rushkoff and Levy’s context differ with each other to show their audiences what they should take in as important. Rushkoff
and Levy differ in their context to show what they think there audiences should deem important.
Rushkoff and Levy are both calling for a change in action even though they are in disagreement they still get the same end result. Rushkoff’s manifesto, “Time Ain’t Money” is straightforward and designed to call out CEOs of businesses to accelerate and change with culture. Rushkoffs manifesto is split into four sections. The first section talks about society living in the now. The second section is about “presentism” grounded in reality. The third section is when Rushkoff insults his audience for not making the connection to presentism and our culture. The last section is when Rushkoff gives suggestions to his audience for bettering there companies. Levy’s article, “No time to think” was about how no one has time to stop and think or take time on your work.
His article showed how technology is accelerating our work and culture thus leaving no room to contemplate your work and life. Levy used three people doing different things, but all related to each other. One of those people levy talked about was a geneticist Barbara McClintock who worked on corn genetics, and how she shaped her life to allow time to think and focus. Levy also talked about Vannevar Bush who created tools that made it easier to work on work, instead of the creative process. He created the Memex which is a data storage so people could have information available to them. The last person is Josef Pieper who talked about the Greeks focused on leisure and work was secondary. Pieper talks of how society has completely moved away from that. Levy compares different ages and how in the industrial era we went at human pace and now due to technology we cannot keep up. Which then leads to Levy’s self-reflections and contemplation. For example Levy makes a point to tell us to take passion and admire your work. Both Rushkoff and Levy call for
change.
In Rushkoff’s manifesto his audience was aimed at businesses and CEOs.
Rushkoff wants them to speed up while also keeping with culture. Levy’s article was aimed at the Academic community especially scientist and college students. Rushkoff talks about CEOs and how they are doing a bad job. Rushkoff says, “Good CEOs reading this manifesto should be making the connection between presentism and their operation” (Rushkoff 116). Rushkoff wants CEOs to change with society and by finding the connection between presentism and their company will make their company more modern. Levy is talking to the academic community asking them to change, “By enmeshing scholars in the endless practical details of managing the record, including the selection of relevant materials, a surfeit of information would leave them less time to think” (Levy 65). Levy wants his audience to slow down take their time, so they can gain a better understanding of their work. Levy would agree with Rushkoff about the need for CEOs to contemplate the connections between presentism and there operations. Levy would also agree with Rushkoff’s goal because it is to instill in his audience the idea of slowing down and really think about what you are doing. Rushkoff want his audience to think about what he said and that is exactly what Levy
wants.
Rushkoff and Levy both call for change, Rushkoff’s piece is an urgent call for his audience to accelerate and change with society while Levy’s piece is subtle and is calling his audience to install a new mind set, slow down and reflect in your work. Rushkoff states, “Every company must be responsive, lean, and agile” (Rushkoff 115). Being fast improves production and increases revenue. Levy says there needs to be a change, but it does not have to be a drastic one. Levy claims, “The problem of information overload may well be amenable to a combination of social and technological solutions” (Levy 73). There is too much information, and we cannot keep up with all of the new information. Levy would fight Rushkoff’s statement you do not think right when you are rushed and you are more prone to mistakes. Levy would want people to focus on what is in front of them and worry about the next thing when it get there.
Rushkoff and Levy both see how technology is accelerating, but also changing in different ways. Rushkoff focuses on technology and how it’s accelerating and changing the way society does business. Levy focuses on technology and how it is accelerating and changing academic societies. Rushkoff uses the example of stocks to show how technology has change the way we do business. Rushkoff states, “They whined when a purchase of Facebook shares in the first few minutes of the company’s IPO didn’t return a profit over the next hour” (Rushkoff 115). Technology is making everything faster so people get results or profit sooner. Levy thinks technology is forcing people to move too fast and we now have no time to contemplate, only the next thing to do on the list. Levy proclaims, “Technologies have arisen in the service of a more-faster-better attitude toward work and life, an attitude that privileges fast-time activities over their slow-time counterparts. Certain activates associated with education and learning—searching for information, collecting and superficially reviewing it—can be speeded up, while others—sustained reflection and contemplation—simply cannot”(Levy 79). Levy wants change and for people to move forward but just take a slower pace, and leave time to think. Levy would not agree with Rushkoff, he wants contemplation and with the acceleration of technology there is little time to think at all.
In Rushkoff’s manifesto his audience was aimed at businesses and CEOs urging them to speed up, while in Levy’s article his audience was aimed at the education system wanting them to slow down. Rushkoff and Levy differ in their context to show what they think there audiences should deem important. They do this by explaining what they think needs to change for their audience. Rushkoff and Levy use key terms like, acceleration, contemplation, and presentism to emphasize their points and further their audience’s understanding of what Rushkoff and Levy want them to act on.