Technological determinism is a really scary idea when you think about it. If it's true though there's really nothing we can do about it. Even though I can't easily disprove TD I'm weary to spend much time focusing on it. Assuming we could 'reset' and get rid of modern tech there's no point we could go back to that wouldn't still technically put us on the conveyor belt back to where we are today.

For example do you go back to horses and buggies? No? Ok walking around? Do we not wear shoes? What about farming and ranching? Do we go back to hunter gatherer culture? What happens when someone starts using obsidian instead of a sharp stick to hunt? Are we back on the cycle that can't be stopped? Another problem. If one group tries to go back but another group still has modern weapons of war doesn't that make it too easy for the tech group to dominate the group trying to reset? Seem like it only works if everyone in the world does it at the same time?

It's all so confusing and personally not a big concern. I take a middle ground slower approach. I think there's an 'edge' we should live on. We shouldn't allow tech that we haven't totally morally mastered. I think the Amish are living at the tech point that white humans should be at. We can go beyond Amish tech but should do it at a slower pace and seriously think about the real dangers of every tech we develop. Computers are an obvious example of a tech that too far ahead of our moral mastery.

The invention of plastic is a good example. It was really useful but we simply started putting it in everything without closely analyzing its dangers. It did a lot damage to humans: drove up oil consumption, drove up estrogen levels, created a throw away society, increased landfills, polluted oceans, etc. I'd like to mostly eliminate plastics and only use them very carefully in applications that they fit in logically, safely and morally. Could we hit a point where we can use plastic safely? Sure but it might take a hundred years and I'm ok with that level of slow pace tech.

Unfortunately I don't think we will every see that type of morally driven reset and revaluation of how we use tech. Mainly due to war and competition we are going to keeping advancing too quickly until we've created a dystopian hellscape like McCormac's The Road.