Dijkstra criticises exaggerated claims about computers and their benefits to society. He argues that advertising has encouraged unrealistic expectations, obscured the difficulty of programming and promoted the assumption that computer assistance always improves an activity. He also challenges comparisons between computers and human minds.

He urges the public to examine promotional claims sceptically rather than accept technological change as automatic progress. His satirical example is an intelligent prayer wheel (IPW): a home computer generating prayers faster than a traditional mechanical device. The example questions whether greater speed and novelty establish that an application is worthwhile.

Dijkstra presents computing science as an intellectual challenge whose importance extends beyond practical machinery. An appendix offers further arguments on education, research, democracy and expert systems. These question whether public demand should guide education, whether information technology necessarily supports democracy, and whether enthusiasm for equipment amounts to scientific understanding.