Technology and Society

How is digitization changing work? An introduction

Does the "coder-king" increasingly rule in all sectors? Not necessarily; users often push back. And often, coders are working to implement someone…

Sep 11 • 

Shreeharsh Kelkar

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11

August 2025

Matt Bruenig is correct to shift the conversation from science to values, but his target is misplaced.

Bruenig needs to convince the broader American public, not Kelsey Piper, about the value of cash transfers in solving the problem of poverty.

Aug 24 • 

Shreeharsh Kelkar

5

5

"Democracy" is not the opposite of "technocracy"

Consulting regular people as opposed to experts does not make something more "democratic." Democracy is an ethos. Advocates should justify policy…

Aug 17 • 

Shreeharsh Kelkar

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24

What was Michel Foucault guilty of? He neutered the word "power" of any analytical heft whatsoever.

How to do a Foucaldian analysis: replace "power" with a technical term like "dispositif." Also, you must actually suggest an alternative organizing…

Aug 2 • 

Shreeharsh Kelkar

94

31

July 2025

How do you find the right expert to trust?

It's not just about epistemology but about controversy and stakes. A philosophical perspective from the sociological sciences.

Jul 26 • 

Shreeharsh Kelkar

12

11

June 2025

What does it mean to be "intelligent"?

If “intelligence” is the thing that makes us most human, then the sociologist Harold Garfinkel can tell us a lot more about it than computer scientists…

Jun 30 • 

Shreeharsh Kelkar

7

2

Is ChatGPT making us stupid?

We may be in for a new round of takes on how the internet affects the brain. But the brain is the wrong unit of analysis for ChatGPT or LLMs, just as it…

Jun 24 • 

Shreeharsh Kelkar

10

April 2025

How do you solve a problem like ChatGPT?

LLMs have disrupted college teaching and not in a good way. But there is a solution, it just involves technology, enforcement, and sanctions--three…

Apr 30 • 

Shreeharsh Kelkar

10

8

Why is there so much A.G.I. talk? And what can we do about it?

You can tell all kinds of stories about why A.G.I. talk exists but it is really built into the DNA of the computational work that goes into building AI…

Apr 16 • 

Shreeharsh Kelkar

3

6

The Janine Chronicles, Cont'd

What is our ideal woke type actually thinking and doing?

Published on Eminent Americans • Apr 11

March 2025

How should AI be regulated?

There is no way to regulate "AI" because the term does not mean much. It would be better to regulate AI *applications* instead, and even better to start…

Mar 25 • 

Shreeharsh Kelkar

1

1

A remembrance of Kevin Drum and his time-series charts

Kevin Drum's writing was crystal-clear, heterodox, very opinionated, and often illustrated with time-series charts. Here's how I learned to love those…

Mar 13 • 

Shreeharsh Kelkar

7

1