Some thoughts on ATD

[Tore Rye Andersen]

Laura:
 
> Anyone care to pipe in about what they think ATD is "about"?
I think it is about the irreversible plunge into modernity (as depicted on the US paperback cover). The beginning of this plunge is depicted in M&D, and the later stages are described in GR and Vineland. 
 
The ironic thing, of course, is that this plunge is not irreversible at all: To a certain extent, the perceived irreversibility of the plunge is a result of our choice - whether conscious or not - to think of it as irreversible. AtD (and GR and M&D) describe how we ignore the many possibilities offered by the historical moment in which we live (remember GR: "There is the moment, and its possibilities") and choose to think of 'historical forces' as something beyond our reach, as opposed to something we are part of. And thus, the plunge into technological modernity does become irreversible after all.
 
Best,
 
Tore
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