Future, Civilization & Change
What is dystopia?
What is technology?
What is progress?
What is society?
What is civilization?
It’s all a moving target. What seems like dystopia, seems normal eventually. I was reminded of this when I read a piece by Mahatma Gandhi, originally published in 1909. He was writing about a future now all too present around us. Everything is all about change. Eventually, the future dystopia becomes the new normal now.
Formerly the fewest men wrote books that were most valuable. Now anybody writes and prints anything he likes and poisons people’s minds.
It has been stated that, as men progress, they shall be able to travel in airships and reach any part of the world in a few hours. Men will not need the use of their hands and feet. They will press a button and have their clothing by their side. They will press another button and have their newspaper. A third, and a motorcar will be waiting for them. They will have a variety of delicately dished-up food. Everything will be done by machinery.
They are obliged to work, at the risk of their lives, at most dangerous occupations, for the sake of millionaires. Formerly men were made slaves under physical compulsion; now they are enslaved by the temptation of money and of the luxuries that money can buy. There are now diseases of which people never dreamed before, and an army of doctors is engaged in finding out their cures, and so hospitals have increased. This is a test of civilization.
Formerly special messengers were required and much expense was incurred in order to send letters; today anyone can abuse his fellow by means of a letter for one penny. True, at the same cost, one can send one’s thanks also. Formerly people had two or three meals consisting of homemade bread and vegetables; now they require something to eat every two hours, so that they have hardly leisure for anything else.
These are all true tests of civilization. And if anyone speaks to the contrary, know that he is ignorant. This civilization takes note neither of morality nor of religion. Its votaries calmly state that their business is not to teach religion. Some even consider it to be a superstitious growth. Others put on the cloak of religion and prate about morality.But after twenty years’ experience, I have come to the conclusion that immorality is often taught in the name of morality. Even a child can understand that in all I have described above there can be no inducement to morality. Civilization seeks to increase bodily comforts, and it fails miserably even in doing so.
Mahatma Gandhi / Civilization
March 5, 2024, San Francisco
3 thoughts on this post
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Maybe there will be a button that will not only release one’s head from their rectum, but will automatically exchange fiction for truth.
Today’s problems were turbo-charged by the open, settlement-free, permissionless, internet. It’s resulted in a feudal state of silos and the funny thing about all the finger pointing; NO ONE HAS LEARNED A THING! Time to rethink our approach to networks. The current model means risk is totally imbalanced; on the side of the receiver. Just as Gandhi said. And as the internet is really just a 1.5-way store and foreward database lookup model (yes zoom sucks and basically looks like 20 year old technology; where’s the 2-way 8K home learning or home medicine??) it’s all been about who can shout the loudest in real-time. There is no true, reasoned debate and moderation. The path forward is with settlements that make the sender think twice. From there a whole host of other positives, like rapid technological adoption, centralized procurement and subsidization, redistribution of geometric wealth gathered by a few to cover the costs borne by the many, and lastly universal access to information and knowledge, are enabled. What’s really needed is a rethink of our approach to networks of all types (aka mankind’s institutional networks) to emulate those found in nature. Only Gandhi didn’t have the benefit of knowledge about network effects and network theory.
Michael,
How would you really rethink the future of the network?
PS: Gandhi, and his peers had to count on “media” to help spread their word.