Wednesday, October 15, 2003
Analysing the upheaval
Western civilisation is going through a huge upheaval, perhaps its death-throes. One of the chroniclers of the times is William Van Dusen Wishard, the head of a Washington consultancy, Worldtrends. Wishard has just written a book called Between Two Ages: The Meaning of Our Times, in which he analyses what’s going on (obviously with particular emphasis on the USA, but it’s also highly relevant to New Zealand). Here are a few quotes:
“Throughout history, science and technology have been viewed as an aid to man, as an extension of human capability. The question is whether we've entered a period in which certain technologies exist in their own right, under their own laws, and for purposes that have little to do with extending human capabilities. Rather, their purpose is to supplant human effort and meaning altogether.�
“We have a culture of dysfunction. A culture that becomes disconnected from its transcendent roots becomes dysfunctional. Dysfunction is now a style of life in America, with its own music, media, dress code and philosophy.�
“My personal view is that we're headed into a time of severe trial, of difficulty and danger over the coming decade. Technological, economic, social and psychological forces, about which we know very little and over which we have minimal control, have been unleashed on a global scale.�
Wishard has a rather optimistic view of where this all might come out, and I do not agree with many of his conclusions, particularly his basis for hope (which appears to rest in the ultimate ability of man to chart a new course). But his analysis of where we are now is spot on. Click here for a precis of the book.
Western civilisation is going through a huge upheaval, perhaps its death-throes. One of the chroniclers of the times is William Van Dusen Wishard, the head of a Washington consultancy, Worldtrends. Wishard has just written a book called Between Two Ages: The Meaning of Our Times, in which he analyses what’s going on (obviously with particular emphasis on the USA, but it’s also highly relevant to New Zealand). Here are a few quotes:
“Throughout history, science and technology have been viewed as an aid to man, as an extension of human capability. The question is whether we've entered a period in which certain technologies exist in their own right, under their own laws, and for purposes that have little to do with extending human capabilities. Rather, their purpose is to supplant human effort and meaning altogether.�
“We have a culture of dysfunction. A culture that becomes disconnected from its transcendent roots becomes dysfunctional. Dysfunction is now a style of life in America, with its own music, media, dress code and philosophy.�
“My personal view is that we're headed into a time of severe trial, of difficulty and danger over the coming decade. Technological, economic, social and psychological forces, about which we know very little and over which we have minimal control, have been unleashed on a global scale.�
Wishard has a rather optimistic view of where this all might come out, and I do not agree with many of his conclusions, particularly his basis for hope (which appears to rest in the ultimate ability of man to chart a new course). But his analysis of where we are now is spot on. Click here for a precis of the book.
