The new technologies in the beginning of the 2000’s brought a lot of change in society. For the first time from printing there was an innovation that has an impact in all the population. For instance in the XIXth century inventions like electricity or vapor impacted some jobs, but not all the population. The question of the dependence to the screen, which is concerning a lot of people, is interrogating how we perceive reality, and the fact we are less likely to read, to watch nature… Moreover there is an uniformization of thinking with social networks that is a problem for freedom, innovation… It is the reason why coming back to “creative” fields can be useful to tackle these issues. The combinaison of philosophy and literature can bring many good things to this extend. These two subjects have often been in dialog, complementary and useful one to another, and can give responses to these challenges of the world of today.
Philosophy, which is around elaboration, especially from Aristotle which introduced the way philosophers are building their works until today, and literature, which is around imagination, have never been too remote. For instance great thinkers like Kant, Hegel or Nietzsche theorized about literature or arts. To the same extend, writers like Balzac put a lot of philosophical ideas and thoughts in his books. Modern thinkers like Deleuze theorized a lot about the link between philosophy and literature to partly criticize the ideas of absolutes. Overall, in philosophy, the link between philosophy and literature is one great field of philosophy, with philosophy of science, political philosophy and philosophy of religions. What was successful in this link is the complementarity of them : elaboration and imagination can be real responses to the challenges to the challenges of today.
First the new technologies create a great revival of ancient philosophical questions. For instance the notion of work. Aristotle theorized the difference of working to survive and working to create, innovate… which was reused by Arendt who put in place the notions of homo laborans (necessary work) and homo faber (work as an accomplishment, a source of happiness…). Also the notion of property, which has been legitimized by Locke with the notion of work, is likely to be more complicated to define with the new realities that exist are can exist with internet and artificial intelligence.
Second living in the standards of old philosophers and old writers can have more sense again with the new technologies. For instance the philosopher Zenon was a figure of a great erudite and a good man. His life was simple and centered around studying and doing good. The same way poets like Virgile celebrated bucolic life, around the notion of love but in a simple life and living in nature. New technologies tend to make us forget about the importance of culture, nature, simple life and the antique notion of otium as well, which is leisure to cultivate oneself. These figures can be inspiring not to enter into the trap of the artificial world of the internet, which is hard for a lot of people (including me).
Third reading more philosophy and literature can support us to use all the positive things new technologies can give as well. Internet for instance can give a great access to the whole world, break a great deal of barriers and the imagination literature allows, for instance, can bring a lot of positive things with internet to create, innovate… it is possible for anyone to elaborate a lot things as well and new technologies can be a great tool of freedom if it is well used. However it is not easy to be done and reading more philosophy and literature can be supportive. Confronting oneselves to great thinkers like Descartes or Spinoza or great writers like Hugo or Balzac can contribute to make us use more effectively the great possibilities internet can bring.
The observer 