Technology has become the idol of our society, but technological progress is—more often than not—aimed at solving problems caused by earlier technical inventions. There is a lot of potential in past and often forgotten knowledge and technologies when it comes to designing a sustainable society. Interesting possibilities arise when we combine old technology with new knowledge and new materials, or when we apply old concepts and traditional knowledge to modern technology.
“Low-tech” is not a noun but an adjective. The dictionary defines it as “not using the latest technologies”, while high-tech is defined as “using the latest technologies”. Consequently, a low-tech mindset is simply one that is critical about new technologies. It refuses to assume that a new technology is inherently better than the one it replaces. A low-tech approach also questions the criteria which make us decide whether or not something is “better” than something else.
Low-tech Magazine was founded in November 2007. Since 2018, the magazine also runs on a solar powered server. The website is also available in Spanish, French, Dutch, German, and Polish. Since 2019, LTM also appears in print. Low-tech Magazine publishes at most 12 well-researched stories per year. Sister blog No Tech Magazine brings more regular updates.