It does not seem that the general consciousness of present day society is advancing as fast as the technology that powers it. No matter what the sector, technology is opening up new horizons almost on its own steam, as though it has no need for the humans behind the process. So it is that an uneducated human with the most antediluvian worldview can have the most sophisticated weaponry in a country like Afghanistan to inflict damage on others. Nations raking in the petro-dollars can build brand new ultra-modern megacities but not allow women even the most basic human rights.
In the age of AI, particularly, it is clear that technological power is morality neutral. In the case of China, for instance, the technology may be shamelessly stolen from others and put to the use of furthering a system that denies the principles of democracy as a bourgeois weakness.
In other words, should it not be necessary that the power of technology be in responsible, civilised hands? There is so much that science has provided humanity and with so much promise for the future, but why is it not harnessed by all for the well-being of all?
Ever since nuclear weapons were developed, the effort has been to prevent these from falling into the ‘wrong hands’, even as those who do have them have sought to contain themselves through treaties and protocols. This is because one misstep could lead to total annihilation. And, yet, this does not prevent nations from using the nuclear threat on a regular basis.
Whose responsibility is it to raise human consciousness to a level that prevents misuse of technology? The great philosophers since ancient times have shown the way but could not overcome the baser instincts that drive humanity. Civilisations rose and declined, even disappeared, leaving behind hard learned lessons, the most important being that the fittest survive by being able to adapt to the circumstances. Not just technologically but, also, temperamentally. Creative expression of the inner self helps in the development of this temperament – in the individual and the collective. Therefore, any developing society requires art, literature, culture, etc., to be provided as much attention as technological advancement. This needs freedom of expression and discipline – one cannot do without the other.
So, how many societies in today’s world are best placed to provide this balanced growth – seemingly chaotic on the surface but with a great depth of consciousness? Those that see themselves in that image should take on the responsibility, onerous as it is, of saving the world.
