The biggest missed point about the Holocaust, and other similar events, is that it was the expression of technological super forces. Without advanced technology, it is impossible to so cleanly and efficiently eliminate large populations.
Should we think the future is any safer with super-technology? Not as long as someone or something is in charge of the levers–not that it seems reasonable to let it run itself either.
The belief in end of war is a myth. I have demonstrated this elsewhere, but in short, violence committed from war has actually increased when looking at all documented cases of war over several hundred, then drawing a linear regression line. Sure, endless pleasure might somehow substitute war, but that’s another problem.
Technological Growth will Therefore Tend Towards Risk (unsafety), While Increasingly Restrict (safety) to Attempt to Prevent Chaos
If you think gun control is hotly debated, just wait until we can simply think up and even produce a weapon much more powerful than a mere gun. Thought control will therefore be a necessity for civilization to survive in the future. So, as tech empowers everyone, more controls will be needed to block the risks. Cue, the Borg from Star Trek.
Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.
Dune
Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam
Pandora’s Box is Full of 0’s and 1’s
If there is one thing we can be sure of about technology it is this:
Technology magnifies all human behavior, good or evil.
Author
” Reason and the impulse to objectify truth are illusory masks for cultural power.”
So, while we like to think that the search for scientific truth is obvious and natural, the reality is, in today’s world, those who control science, and its child technology, rule economically. The most successful companies today are mostly in the most cutting edge technology, or use such technology in their operations (even Walmart is incredibly high tech). By this, we can conclude that there is a race for technology because it is valuable. Social science would state this in similar terms:
The pursuit of Science is a cultural mask for power
Unknown
Freedom of speech, empowerment, and education Is there anyone in the United States that does not want more of these for themselves or people living in other countries? The idea of freedom, as set by the American founding was perhaps the most revolutionary idea since the dawn of civilization.
And on one hand, it continues to accelerate. With the leveraging and connecting speed of the internet and social media, anyone can be a leader overnight, amassing a large following. In theory, any of these virtual nobody’s could become the next President.
But, in case you have not noticed, there is a always a counter-pressure for such voices, often top down.
Education: Everyone needs more education. Technology will deliver it
Freedom of speech: The 2nd amendment gives people the freedom to speak, and we think everyone deserves to speak their mind without govt. intervention, otherwise we call it censorship. Is there a global company today that doesn’t want a greater market share in countries like China? Many would suggest that countries like China and North Korea are backward, but perhaps there is another view.
Empowerment: The first two (freedom, education) are just smaller parts of what you could call “empowerment” but for short, it can simply be referred to as increasing “power.”
The Battle Between Absolute Freedom and Absolute Control
When complete freedom for the individual is obtained, and as long as people make poor decisions, chaos is the most likely outcome.
Most people believe that freedom of speech is essential. We want more freedom of speech in countries like China, and North Korea. Most also find it repressive if governments limit the press:
2018 Press Freedom Index
However, if the press
people speak negatively of another group of people, then it is considered harassment, and can even lead to physical harm.
“Values that emphasize the creativity, autonomy, and priority of human beings are misplaced. There is no universal humanity since every culture constitutes its own reality. Groups must empower themselves to assert their own values and to take their placer with other planetary species. “
HumanIT 