People Used to Control Machines. They Don’t Anymore

The world has changed in ways that are easy to overlook. Our cars can drive themselves, our phones have become smarter, but beneath the surface, something profound is happening. Automation, design, and business decisions are quietly eroding our ability to engage with the world around us.

Manual transmissions in cars are becoming a relic of the past. What was once a staple of driving culture – shifting gears, feeling the engine rev up, and connecting with the road – is now a dying art. The shift towards electric vehicles has made manual transmissions obsolete, taking with it our relationship with machines.

Philosopher Matthew Crawford’s concept of “operating the entire car” is more than just a nostalgic plea to save the manual transmission. It’s an indictment of our increasingly mechanized lives, where every interaction becomes mediated by screens, sensors, and algorithms. When we lose touch with tangible, sensory experiences like driving a stick shift or cooking from scratch, we risk losing ourselves in the process.

The decline of manual transmissions is just one symptom of a broader phenomenon: the gradual disappearance of ordinary circumstances that once produced so much gratification. Automation has taken over our tasks, design has made things more convenient but less engaging, and social life has become increasingly virtual. We’re no longer interacting with the world in the same way; we’re interacting with simulations, echoes, and approximations.

A postcard from my assistant brings this trend into sharp focus. A lime-green card with 50 francs embossed on it, sent by Christopher after reading a piece on the stick shift, is a poignant reminder that even in an age of digital communication, human connections still matter – and that we’re losing something precious when we sacrifice our relationship with machines.

As we trade manual transmissions for electric motors, we’re also trading autonomy for convenience. We’re surrendering the ability to feel the engine rev up beneath us, to sense the road unfolding before us, and to connect with the world in a way that’s both intimate and visceral. In doing so, we’re losing ourselves – our humanity, our agency, and our very connection to the world around us.

Our future will be shaped by how we design our lives, technology, and relationships. We must acknowledge that our humanity is not just about what we achieve but also how we experience it – with all its imperfections, struggles, and joys. By reengaging with machines on a human scale, designing experiences that allow us to connect with the world around us, and preserving those ordinary circumstances that produce so much gratification, we can reclaim our agency, autonomy, and humanity.

This isn’t just about saving the manual transmission; it’s about recognizing what’s at stake. As we trade relationships with machines for convenience, we risk losing something fundamental to who we are – our connection to the world, our sense of self, and our very humanity. The time has come to reflect on this silent erosion of human agency and ask ourselves: what do we value more – efficiency or essence?