Part of a series on ways to survive this dystopian nightmare
It has been predicted by an infamous individual that our future holds two possible scenarios: societal or civilizational collapse, or technological enslavement à la Brave New World. If you have not read this book, I recommend you make it a priority.
It seems that as a global society, we are too incompetent to enact a Brave New World -like scenario. There are not enough individuals with the requisite know-how to move us into this outcome, and though the direction necessary to achieve this outcome is underway, it is unlikely to materialize. A variety of factors, culminating over the 20th century and primarily in Western countries, have undermined the fostering of intelligence and creativity needed to develop novel technologies and innovative solutions necessary for a BNW outcome.
Around the turn of the millennium, we stopped developing technological solutions for the sake of solving problems, and instead shifted to finding solutions which sought maximum profit. Nothing has changed since and has probably only worsened. Corruption has bled into so many domains that we cannot move forward in any technologically meaningful way because the wrong people are in power or in key positions of leadership. Those who are capable of making real technological progress and contributions are either bogged down by bureaucratic mud or are disillusioned and give up.
Arguably, the theory necessary to develop and implement technological change took a back seat to pragmatic concerns too early in the Digital Revolution. Today, corruption and incompetence run the show. Though we may have some forms of “advanced technology” like deep learning and genetic modification, we are unable to really implement it to bring about a BNW outcome. Sure, we may see further movement toward this outcome in isolated incidents, however, on a larger scale, it is unlikely to take hold.
This corruption/competency crisis is why the Great Reset1 failed. Consequently, it enabled a critical mass to become aware of the plan to usher in a BNW outcome. Now we have a fighting chance and it seems we are making gains. For example, the Digital Travel Credentials pilot project between Canada and the Netherlands, which used facial recognition,2 has been closed.3 We may see similar projects launch in the future but for now, it indicates a lack of forward movement which is good news.
The reason we are headed to a collapse is due to the instability of the system in which we live. This idea was originally presented in 1948 by mathematician Norbert Wiener, a father of cybernetics, in his book Cybernetcs: or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine. In general, cybernetics is interested in communication and feedback processes but Wiener extends his discussion into some interesting directions, one of which is politics. He states “one of the most surprising facts about the body politic is its extreme lack of efficient homeostatic processes”4 where ‘homeostatic processes’ refers to functionality which achieves a state of equilibrium.5 While some believe the “free market” is a homeostatic process, it’s actually a game and therefore follows “the general theory of games, developed by von Neumann and Morgenstern.”6 This means that every player acts in accordance with the information available to him at the time which maximizes reward. With two players, “the theory is complicated,”7 but with three or more players, “the result is is one of extreme indeterminacy and instability.”8 Though players may form coalitions, Wiener states that these coalitions do not lead to a degree of determinism but instead “usually terminate in a welter of betrayal, turncoatism, and deception” which is also seen in business, politics, diplomacy, and war.9 Though we may aim for peace and stability, Wiener stresses that before long, someone is bound to break the agreement and cease cooperating.
The reason is plain old human psychology and a tendency to focus on factors which are irrelevant or inconsequential to the task at hand. Specifically, “…there are always the statisticians, sociologists, and economists available to sell their services to these undertakings.”10 He goes on to say that in small groups, homeostasis is easier to achieve as fewer individual must work together, however, when groups become larger, “ruthlessness can reach is most sublime levels.”11
Moreover, “of all of these anti-homeostatic factors in society, the control of the means of communication is the most effective and most important.”12 He admits that one of the lessons of his book is to remind us that societies are held together by the “possession of means for the acquisition, use, retention, and transmission of information.”13 The reason is because the means of communication, whether it be through newspapers, radios, movies, schools, or churches,14 are dependent on funding. As a result, the actions which draw in the most revenue, like sensationalist stories or click-bait, are selected for and end up corrupting the media groups which provide information to the masses. Therefore, the “game of power and money” is one of the most anti-homeostatic elements in society.15 Given this instability, the game will inevitably end.
How quickly the collapse occurs is anybody’s guess. It could take decades or it could take days, it just depends on the factors involved. Que será, será.
Wikimedia Commons Picture of the Day on Aug 4, 2024
Works Cited
1 Klaus Schwab, “Now Is the Time for a ‘Great Reset,’” World Economic Forum (blog), June 3, 2020, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/now-is-the-time-for-a-great-reset/.
2 “Debates No. 335 – June 19, 2024 (44-1),” June 19, 2024, Question No. 2686(e), https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/44-1/house/sitting-335/hansard.
3 “Debates No. 335 – June 19, 2024 (44-1),” Question No. 2686(h).
4 Norbert Wiener, Cybernetics or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine, Second (Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1948), 220, https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/11810.001.0001.
5 “Homeostasis,” in Merriam-Webster.Com Dictionary (Merriam-Webster), accessed August 3, 2024, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homeostasis.
6 Wiener, Cybernetics, 220.
7 Wiener, 220.
8 Wiener, 221.
9 Wiener, 221.
10 Wiener, 222.
11 Wiener, 223.
12 Wiener, 223.
13 Wiener, 223.
14 Wiener, 223.
15 Wiener, 224.