I have talked about how science and spirituality separated during the Renaissance period (e.g., The New Physics and Cosmology part 1 – The Problem of Variable Constants {September 2020}) and how logic and reasoning set us on a cultural course of thinking that science can cure all ills. It began the glorification of technology, especially during the past 2 centuries of the industrial revolution, and started the slide away from using ethics, morality, and spiritual intuition as guides for the creation and use of technology. Science and technology are neutral but humans now have difficulty in being fully objective about them. In particular within our consumer mindset, we seem to have lost control of how we consider the application of technology and the circumstances under which technology is used. I’m not advocating a swing back to the old days of fear and superstition, but merging again, the sciences and the humanities in our decision-making processes when considering the use and application of any technology, and especially in how neo-classical economics currently figures into the mixture. We need a middle space where the heart and mind are harmonized to bring us a more sustainable and just world.
We need to do serious evaluations of all our technologies. Basic questions that must be addressed of all attributes about technology are; 1) Is it environmentally friendly and encourages life at all levels? 2) Are all people who are affected by that technology in any way, stakeholders in the decision making – do they have an active role? 3) Do the technical requirements and innovation exist and what are the downsides of the technology in regards to its benefits? 4) What are the socio-cultural needs and reason for the technology to be used? 5) Does the technology empower everyone and sustain ecosystems in which they live? And, 6) Do we really need that technology just because it exists? These questions overlap to some degree but philosophically it boils down to ‘just because we can doesn’t mean we should.’ This is where the deeper-thinking considerations derived from the humanities come into the equation. I think we could easily develop risk-benefit protocols to evaluate technology. You’ll notice that economics never came into any of the questions above, and that will be our greatest challenge, I think.
I very much doubt that the powerful global money brokers are going to let go of their purse strings anytime soon. Even if we somehow got them to accept an ‘Ecological Economics’ perspective (e.g., see earlier post Spirituality, Service, and Connectedness – Part 3: Creating a New Economic Model {July 2021}) they currently live under the vague shadow of shareholder ethics. Let’s face it, nearly all our modern global problems arise out of our current global economic worldview – those with money invest in technology in order to gain profit. If corners can be cut and more profit gained from using harmful technology, then it is easily sanctioned. And our ‘heat, beat and treat’ manufacturing mindset dominates because it is cheaper when externalities are ignored (e.g., see earlier post Biomimicry 1 – Learning from Nature – BioEngineering a New World {August 2018}).
Biomimicry is one way to re-engineer the world (not the only one) that factors in how waste is eliminated by making it part of the full cycle of production – mimicking how nature works. Once we can eliminate the idea of ‘economic externalities’ then we will see how full cycle manufacturing merges with technology evaluation (paragraph two above) and ecological economic rationality. The problem of the socio and psychopaths running the current global system is also part of the transformation where we do not even try to overthrow them but simply ignore them and get on with developing our new system. That is the easiest and yet the most difficult thing to do, because it means the 99% have to break away from the consumer mindset managed by the 1% almost overnight.
Before 2019 I would have said that only some global catastrophe of some kind might be the emphasis for this transition, but after the last 20 months of C19 and the continuing nefarious practices of governments and corporations, that kind of transition may not be as hard as I thought. Hmmmm….. As I ponder the holidays at this time of year, I resist going further down the deep rabbit hole of what is wrong and instead shall end this post on a more positive note.
In Christian countries the annual commercialized mantra during this season is ‘Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all people’ – the Christmas spirit! Just think if we could actually think and live this mantra every day. Seriously, live that mantra and see how your life changes for the better, simply because your whole being changes for the better. When you drop the fear, anger, hatred, separation, and foster kindness it changes those around you as well. As I listen to the holiday songs that abound everywhere, I think of John Lennon and Greg Lake with their critical Christmas songs from the 1970s. Then I listen to a plethora of traditional carols from talented singers and musicians. Except for the party songs, the message is consistent, even to the non-Christians. Do you want to change the world, then do something different than humanity has been doing for some many millennia – stop finding a reason to create divisions. Celebrate diversity in all its forms. Let’s come together and start deep talks about what we want from society and how our various cultures can collaborate to create that new world. Whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of the year, all of them began as a way to celebrate the proof that the sun is again beginning its rebirth. Cultures many millennia ago may, or may not, have had the astronomical knowledge about the planets solar orbit, but they understood that the winter solstice marked the beginning of a new year when light would grow and they looked forward, not backwards into the darkness.
Whatever holiday you celebrate to welcome the end of the year, the December solstice, and the start of a new year (to name just a few, Bon Om Touk, Chinese New Year, Día de Candelaria, Diwali, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Lantern Festival, Las Posadas, Lohri, Mardi Gras, Omisoka, St. Lucia’s Day, St. Nicholas Day, Waitangi Day), do it with Love and kindness for your friends, family, and for everyone you meet. Then make a point of doing it for the rest of 2022. We need to look at our technological society and make decisions about what is appropriate for us, not leaving it to technocrats and neoclassical economists to do that without our input. Stand up for your freedoms. Anything less is just more of the same and following the authoritarian play book that has gotten us to this sad point in human history.
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