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Comment by falcor84 | Hacker News Reader

> never looked back

Obviously there are very many Amish people who leave their communities to join the modern world - according to various sources this attrition seems to be between 15-25%. And even amongst those who stay, it's likely that a central reason is the fear of excommunication/shunning, rather than an inherent desire to reject modern technology.

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It’s worth mentioning that the Amish aside, there are many groups of people who understand that work has to be done, but do it in a way that elevates the idea that humans can seek transcendence through work. The Shaker communities in my part of the US come to mind. They were not anti-technology by any stretch of the imagination. But they did care about work’s role in being a part of a whole. There are still remnants of that mindset here. For example, I have lately been spending time with people who like to build houses using traditional techniques; while hand tools often play a role, it’s not because they hate technology. There are lots of power tools being used as well. Instead, it’s about asking “what is best?” and “how do I want to spend my working life?”

I vaguely recall a childhood acquaintance who was from a shaker family and they had a computer. I'm very tempted to look them up and see their take on computing and ai. Thanks for the memory stir.

Also many Amish people engage in rules lawyering to access forbidden technology without violating the letter of the rules. And even abiding with the spirit of the rules, they use more technology than outsiders realize.

Yeah, people romanticize them, but they're basically a cult.

Cults usually recruit new members and extract profits or push some motive, wanting to be left alone is hardly a cult

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