In 1987, Wendell Berry’s essay “Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer” appeared in Harper’s. The personal computer had by then become ubiquitous. Manufacturers of hardware and software were booming, and as in most booms, many jumped on the hype bandwagon.
Berry’s point in his essay remains clear — the progress of machines is not identical with human progress. Replying to the many people who told him that he could improve his writing by using a computer instead of his pencil, pad, and Royal typewriter, he challenged their underlying premise — that emulating machines is the highest good.
