The Whole
Earth Catalog is a tool to educate the masses and it represents two almost
contradictory ideas: technology and hippie ideals. The combination present in
the Whole Earth Catalog mirrors Steve
Jobs’ personality. Thus, for Jobs’, the catalogue acts almost as his Bible. The
Whole Earth Catalog of March 1970
covers a wide range of topics from parenting tips, to how to make a birdhouse,
to a guide for tools that can help you become a farmer.
Each of the topics
presented in the catalogue are aimed to help the reader have the tools to
improve their life. The Whole Earth
Catalogue makes the reader feel that they themselves have the ability to
control of their future. This is
similar to the way religion functions. The Bible, for example, gives tools to
help the believer function in everyday life. The Bible too covers a range of
topics from minor details like, “If anyone uncovers a pit or digs one and fails
to cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the one who opened the pit
must pay the owner for the loss and take the dead animal in exchange.” (Exodus
21. 33) all the way to answering questions like “why is childbirth so painful?”
through Genesis in the Adam and Eve story.
Steve Jobs is inspired by these
guides’ ability to transform the consumers’/believers’ lives. This is what
inspires him to make “insanely great” products that will transcend time and
will create a legacy of himself. The perfect model for this goal is the Bible.
It has been in existence for THOUSANDS of years and continues to be relevant
and a source of stability. Thus, the Whole
Earth Catalogue can be compared to a religious book in that its readers are
looking for the tools to make their lives better.
I think this idea has potential, but I'd like to see you point to some sections of the WEC where there is concern for ethics or other biblical themes. I also wonder about the Bible as an insanely great product.. when it is authored by so many people and seems so imperfect. Though if we had video of these biblical figures perhaps they would have wound up in Jobs' advertising? There are also some signs of haste in writing.
ReplyDelete