A physician, writer, scientist, and publisher. Also a member of PEN, an enthusiastic winemaker, bagpiper, and skeptic. His days are filled with countless activities and responsibilities, yet most of his energy and time are devoted to researching the impact of technology on the human brain. He has written about it in his book The Rise and Fall of the Human Mind, a groundbreaking publication on brain function that has rightfully attracted the attention of experts, teachers, and the media. The book has been translated into six languages and is sold worldwide.
Are the harmful effects of digital technologies on the human brain that you describe in your book already materializing?
Unfortunately, yes. These predictions – and they are not mine alone – are being confirmed. We are witnessing a negative development of humanity, rising anxiety, and potential global crises that are escalating faster than I had anticipated. The media are increasingly beginning to write about it as well. The renowned New York Times journalist Thomas Friedman, one of my role models, recently wrote about a looming systemic crisis and articulated it very elegantly.
Can you elaborate?
There are two key facts. First – our species is governed by biological rules. We are handing over our most important abilities and neurological mechanisms to technology and artificial intelligence, which is, a priori, incompatible with a long-term survival strategy. Metaphorically speaking, someone switches off the power – either literally or within our brains – and the brain begins to lose certain intellectual abilities. This has long been happening without question and can be demonstrated by various tests showing changes in brain function and connectivity, even anatomical changes directly related to excessive screen use and artificial intelligence.
And the second fact?
It is linked to the reality that we have become a global anthill governed by a new currency called attention. Whoever captures the most attention gains the advantage – whether through marketing or by catching the eye of someone scrolling on their mobile phone, drawn to anything colorful, flashing, or vaguely interesting. The problem is that attention has no depth; it is a primitive trait. Yet we have reached a point where we prioritize attention over content. The most powerful man on the planet, the president of the United States, exploits this perfectly. On the one hand, he is clearly a disturbed, amoral psychopath; on the other, he is an excellent marketer. As long as Donald Trump remains in the White House, he represents the greatest risk to the world. I intend to join colleagues who are writing open letters calling for his removal and treatment. He is a textbook example of governing through control of attention. As president, he posts an average of nineteen statements per day on social media. And the world reacts accordingly, instead of stopping and saying: This is not acceptable. Let us talk and discuss.
The question is whether anyone will even respond to such open letters…
It will be necessary. Otherwise, further social disintegration may follow. Today, the traditional mechanisms of rational behavior no longer apply; there is no space for meaningful discussion. Any society that wishes to maintain integrity must function within a framework that allows time for decision-making and communication. The new mantra excludes that. The result is that people are constantly on edge, anxious, endlessly monitoring what might happen next. And once something does happen, everyone knows immediately and assigns it excessive attention and meaning – even when it does not concern them at all. The crisis Friedman describes is one in which a minor spark somewhere will ignite like a match thrown into gasoline. Everything today is absolutely interconnected – the economy with energy, energy with electricity, electricity with the internet, the internet with communication, banking, the military, police, airports, hospitals, and so on. And then the whole system collapses. A few days would be enough and people would take to the streets, as they have many times before. I personally believe it will begin in America. Americans today represent the worst example in terms of rational behavior and democracy; on one hand, they act like a herd, on the other, they are deeply divided. As a native American, I am ashamed of my country.
And we have not even mentioned AI, which will also play its role…
Everything is interconnected. AI is the greatest threat on a global scale, in several respects. One aspect that interests me greatly – and is only now beginning to be discussed – is energy consumption. AI already consumes around five percent of total energy resources in the countries where it is used. This figure will rise, because AI is programmed to double its scale and content every hundred days. A lack of energy is therefore another factor fueling the looming crisis, which may arrive soon – even before 2030. If you look at the logarithmic growth of negative pressures, crises, and tensions, the current situation is unsustainable. Seventeen years ago, no one had a smartphone with a screen. Now almost no one can function without one. In just seventeen years, we have changed more as a species than we did over tens of thousands of years.
Let us turn to another topic. We recently commemorated the February 1948 anniversary. Your grandfather, a democratic minister, resigned in 1948 and went into exile. Do you think today’s politicians would be capable of such a step?
I believe they would. It makes sense to compare politics across different eras, but our time is different. The twentieth century saw two world wars; we have not experienced that yet, so in some ways we can say we are doing politics better. My grandfather was morally steadfast, yet he made elementary political mistakes. He was extraordinarily shortsighted regarding political reality. For example, he and other ministers believed their resignation would influence Beneš. They believed in ideals. But ideals have very little space in politics. They are good for constitutions and national anthems. In dealings between politicians, however, only political principles and pragmatism truly function. Today, compared to the last century, the form of politics – how it is conducted – has changed completely. Substance has largely disappeared, replaced by power and emotion.
When I look at your activities, I get the impression you have almost no free time. When did you last play the bagpipes?
At the moment, I play the keyboard more often, as I have a small jam session with a few friends. But from time to time I still take out the bagpipes. More in the summer – where I have my vineyard, locals are used to me playing at sunset, usually on weekends. I also play occasionally at weddings, funerals, or receptions. In March, we have a winemakers’ congress in Kutná Hora, which we open with a bagpipe performance.
The author is a staff writer for Deník
CV BOX
Martin Jan Stránský (born October 30, 1956, in New York) is a neurologist, emeritus associate clinical professor at Yale School of Medicine, and co-founder and head of the Polyclinic on Národní Street in Prague.
He revived the magazine Přítomnost, originally founded in 1924 by his grandfather Jaroslav together with Ferdinand Peroutka.
In 1978, he earned a bachelor’s degree in art history from Columbia University in New York. Five years later, he graduated in medicine from St. George’s University in Grenada. He lectured in neurology at Yale University and returned to the Czech Republic after 1989.
He comes from a prominent Czech family. His great-grandfather Adolf Stránský was a minister in the first Czechoslovak government and founded the newspaper Lidové noviny. His grandfather Jaroslav served as minister of justice and education, and his father Jan co-founded the Czechoslovak section of Radio Free Europe with Pavel Tigrid.
He is the author of, among other works, Diary of a Doctor from Mrnice and The Rise and Fall of the Human Mind. He focuses on the neurological impact of modern technology on the human brain and on the future of humanity.
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