In a 24-hour news cycle that constantly bombards us with the underbelly of the world--boorish politicians, hyper-partisanship, climate change, tech scandals, xenophobic nationalism, racism, misogyny, fake news, rising income inequality and national debt and more--it is nice to be able to step back, take a deep breath, and look at the bigger picture. Before humanity can address its formidable catalog of problems, it is necessary to get our bearings in a world that feels chronically unsteady and vicious. Author and historian Yuval Noah Harari attempts to provide that big picture perspective, first with Sapiens, in which he tells of humanity's rise as a function of group cooperation fostered by grand narratives (think nationalism, religion) or the stories that people need to hear . Homo Deus looks at humanity's future, one in which we all potentially become cyborgs, more intimately connected to technology than even today. So what about today? Can humanity address what ails us so we can reach the new heights he predicts in Homo Deus? Harari's answer comes to us in his latest work, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018).
Like his previous works, 21 Lessons doesn't aspire to being an all-encompassing how-to solutions guide for the biggest problems facing humanity. It is more philosophical, thought-provoking, meant to stimulate the necessary conversations that need to take place globally in a vast population of individuals that do not know everything, let alone the latest advances in AI or cryptocurrency. A variety of subjects are addressed in loosely-connected op-ed-like chapters with characteristic wit and cautious optimism, such as fake news, immigration, terrorism and toxic nationalism, which Harari sees as symptoms of malaise in our current liberal international order. Moreover, while these problems are symptomatic of an ill-equipped system, Harari also sees them as products of technological disruption coupled by continuing advances in biotechnology, something free-market logic and an ever-expanding pie (doubtful nowadays, as we don't have exponential planets to draw from) alone cannot solve.
The algorithms are coming, the algorithms are coming!
Why does technology (both biotechnology and inorganic computer technology) threaten the established liberal order and challenge it with reinvention? Humanity is already faced with trying to stave off the twin existential problems (I call them the Big Ones) of ecological disaster and nuclear war. Those who are at the forefront of the development of technologies like AI, machine learning, Big Data algorithms are profit-driven enterprises not primarily concerned with the ethical, political, and economic consequences of these technologies--like that automation could put a huge segment of the working class out of a job and in need of re-training. A core part of the liberal bargain entails governments looking out for the happiness and well being of its citizens, providing foundational social welfare programs and other services to help citizens prosper in whatever personal and occupational paths they choose.
What happens when automation, machine learning and AI combine to put a good deal of people out of work, while those who invented the technologies are doing better than ever? What happens if all human labor, excepting those operating these technologies (the rich/elites), becomes irrelevant? How do nation-states deal with these tricky issues that involve disillusioned people no longer trusting the grand narratives they were brought up with--whether it be a nationalism, a religious creed, or some other philosophy? The example of automation and significant socioeconomic disruption is just one of the many problems that threaten the liberal dream of a better life for everyone, a life that retains a sense of dignity that comes from being able to control their destinies. People don't particularly enjoy the unknown and the amorphous threats of advancing technology and near-invisible global catastrophes like climate change or nuclear proliferation produce an uncertainty-driven deluge of constant stress.
For all the serious historical and political examination of problems like fake news and terrorism, for Harari it comes down to stories: the stories that inspired ever increasing amounts of people to cooperate for the common good. While it is extremely uncomfortable to realize that human societies must rely on these stories to instill a common sense of identity and purpose in large groups of people (and that disruptions to these stories could potentially undermine the social order as we know it), it is nevertheless mind-expanding, not unusual for works that are audaciously all-encompassing. It is also discomfiting because as with advanced technology, stories can be used for good and bad purposes, powerful tools wielded by those who understand that humans respond more strongly to emotive rather than logical appeals (biochemical paths from evolution better suited to the African savanna--"Move quickly! No time to think!"-than today's over-stimulated world). In the case of nationalism: from "My nation is unique and I celebrate its heritage" to "My nation is superior to yours in every way and I owe it my undying allegiance." Religion? "My religion believes in peace and tolerance and I respect your differing method of achieving spiritual fulfillment" versus "There is only one God and I will fight you to show you the truth." And so on. Then, there is liberalism, the narrative of rational individuals coming together to create a society that believes in democracy, human rights, and the freedom for people to make their own way in life however they choose.
What then is the new story needing to be formulated to help reinvent liberalism to deal with our current slate of problems (whether they primarily stem from technology or not)? Harari's 21 Lessons doesn't provide one. Rather, the overall purpose of the treatise was, like its mind-expanding prose, designed to provoke mass self-reflection and discussion and take people back from the brink of apocalyptic thinking to a more healthy place of cautious optimism, critical thinking and healthy skepticism. That can make it frustrating for readers, but not any less intellectually satisfying. In the end, Harari seems to imply that it is only through a new and urgent worldwide discussion that humanity can find a new story, a new common ideal to organize around that can help society solve its problems and continue to advance. Humanity has done it once before with nation-states and liberal democracy. We can do it again.
Works Cited:
Harari, Yuval Noah. (2018). 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. New York: Spiegel & Grau.
No comments:
Post a Comment