The qualities and dimensions of human life found in
               experiences of love, of commitment, of duty, of mutual
               trust, of values, are not reducible to the world of
               things, but somehow the world of things is infused with
               possibilities of actualization of the true, the
               beautiful, and the good.[1]


            The followers of Socrates are adopters of a humanistic world

          view, believing that persons are what matter.  The Greek

          philosopher Democritus on the other hand presented an opposing

          opinion which suggested that this is a world of things, not

          people; a world of mechanistically understanding events rather

          than human values.As technology has advanced through the ages

          society has often found itself torn between the ideologies of

          Democritus and those of Socrates, or rather, between the world of

          materialism and that of humanity.  As the role of computers

          continues to expand, individuals must become aware of and

          regulate the effects of theses machines on society.  How, for

          example , have computers affected the social interactions among

          people in recent times?  This paper will discuss this question

          with respect to social relationships in the business atmosphere

          as well as those in the family circle.  As the number of

          computers in our offices and homes multiplies, we are forced to

          recognize them as a substantial part of our society and deal with

          the social problems which they pose.


            The computer has recently been enjoying an expanding role in

          ----------

          1. Walter M. Mathews, Monster or Messiah?  (Jackson: University
                                _______ __ ________
          Press of Mississippi, 1980), p.47.



                                        - 1 -










          the modern business office.  With the development of advanced

          technology the use of such procedures as teleconferencing,

          electronic mail, and information retrieval, to name only a few,

          have been widely adopted in the business world.According to a

          study by Booz, Allen, and Hamilton, the average worker wastes

          twenty-five percent of the working day on making travel

          arrangements, waiting for meetings to start, and getting people

          on the phone.[2]  The networking tactics mentioned above would

          therefore provide a vehicle for improving on this inefficient

          utilization of time.  Although at first glance complete office

          automation appears to be an admirable goal toward which to

          strive, many people are not quite so optimistic.  Stambuk

          contends for example, that this new technology may be the

          starting point of long-term social instability.[3]


            Communication is one of the most vital acts associated with

          society, and this is particularly true in the business office.

          Mandell and Hopper purport that office automation has improved

          the communication process through improving access to

          information, increasing information reliability, and expediating

          the movement of information.[4]  While it is true that computers

          can bring a large number of people together through an extensive

          ----------

          2. Grace Murray Hopper, Steven L. Mandell,Understanding
                                                    _____________
          Computers(St.Paul: West Publishing Co., 1984), p.259.
          _________

          3. M. Marois, ed.; Man and Computer (New York: American Elsevier
                             ___ ___ ________
          Publishing Co. Inc., 1979), p.511.

          4. Mandell and Hopper, p.259.



                                        - 2 -










          and efficient communication net, ironically this can lead to the

          ultimate breakdown of communication among individuals.  This

          disintegration can be organized into several different levels.


            In the past, the hand delivery of memos and reports, as well as

          the daily gathering around the bulletin board provided an

          opportun