Prospect Magazine invites 100 thinkers from many fields to give their views on this century in this post. It concerns many views on politics, economics, sociology, environmental issues, religion, technology and science.
Below a quote from Brian Eno which resonates with me as it points out that underlying importance of technology (mainly biotech and IT) on this century.
"Globalists vs nationalists
How prepared are we to allow national governments the freedom to make
decisions which may not be in the interests of the rest of the world?
With issues such as climate change becoming increasingly urgent, many
people will begin arguing for a global system of government with the
power to overrule specific national interests.
Communities of geography vs communities of choice
At the same time, some people will feel less and less allegiance to
“the nation,” which will become an increasingly nebulous act of faith,
and more allegiance to “communities of choice” which exist outside
national identities and geographical restraints. We see the beginnings
of this in transnational pressure groups such as Greenpeace, MoveOn and
Amnesty International, but also in the choices that people now make
about where they live, bank their money, get their healthcare and go on
holiday.
Real life vs virtual life
Some people will spend more and more of their time in virtual
communities such as Second Life. They will claim that their communities
represent the logical extension of citizen democracy. They will be
ridiculed and opposed by “First Lifers,” who will insist that reality
with all its complications always trumps virtual reality, but the
second-lifers in turn will insist that they live in a world of their
own design and therefore are by definition more creative and free. This
division will deepen and intensify, and will develop from just a
cultural preference into a choice about how and where people spend
their lives.
Life extension for all vs for some
There will be an increasingly agonised division between those who feel
that new life-extension technologies should be either available to
those who can afford them or available to everyone. Life itself will be
the resource over which wars will be fought: the “have nots” will feel
that there is a fundamental injustice in the possibility for some
people to enjoy conspicuously longer and healthier lives because they
happen to be richer."
They will be made fun of and compared with by First Lifers who will require that actuality with all its problems always beats online actuality, but the second lifers in convert will require that they stay in a community of their own style and therefore are by distinction more resourceful and no cost.
Posted by: לפרטים | Tuesday, 29 November 2011 at 21:44