We don't have as much control over our own lives as many people think. Modern life runs on the products of giant organizations, including builders of technology and infrastructure, operators of logistics, and large-scale, ultra-efficient farms. There is no substitute on the horizon for these large organizations.
It's not at all certain whether the society that has created so much wealth and afforded so much freedom can survive if trust in institutions continue to decline. This is because we are losing our capacity for collective action, which is absolutely required to address the world's biggest challenges, like pandemics and global warming.
The idea that we are becoming freer and more independent is an illusion enabled by technology and wealth. If we are not able to rebuild our institutions--so that they earn back our trust--we may come to understand this in a harsh way.
"We need modern philosophers -- much better philosophers than me -- to wrestle with modern questions" - and there you go, handing over the responsibility to some other "modern philosophers")
Another great piece Packy. It's amazing to see you move up Maslow's hierarchy from writing about tech to writing about philosophy. I think a good follow up to this would be if you talked about simulation theory and Nick Bostroms work.
Wow!!!!! This is a very thought provoking piece, especially the "No quest is more optimistic, since it declares that our destiny lies within ourselves" and how it infuses collective responsibility into individuality and individual actions. Very brilliant.
Although I personally don't believe in Existentialism which probably stems from my belief in the existence of a deity, but as the world becomes more decentralised and power rises to match individuality over institution, like you stated in the piece, this is a good place to start
Existential Optimism
We don't have as much control over our own lives as many people think. Modern life runs on the products of giant organizations, including builders of technology and infrastructure, operators of logistics, and large-scale, ultra-efficient farms. There is no substitute on the horizon for these large organizations.
It's not at all certain whether the society that has created so much wealth and afforded so much freedom can survive if trust in institutions continue to decline. This is because we are losing our capacity for collective action, which is absolutely required to address the world's biggest challenges, like pandemics and global warming.
The idea that we are becoming freer and more independent is an illusion enabled by technology and wealth. If we are not able to rebuild our institutions--so that they earn back our trust--we may come to understand this in a harsh way.
"We need modern philosophers -- much better philosophers than me -- to wrestle with modern questions" - and there you go, handing over the responsibility to some other "modern philosophers")
Another great piece Packy. It's amazing to see you move up Maslow's hierarchy from writing about tech to writing about philosophy. I think a good follow up to this would be if you talked about simulation theory and Nick Bostroms work.
I love this
Excellent piece.
Wow!!!!! This is a very thought provoking piece, especially the "No quest is more optimistic, since it declares that our destiny lies within ourselves" and how it infuses collective responsibility into individuality and individual actions. Very brilliant.
Although I personally don't believe in Existentialism which probably stems from my belief in the existence of a deity, but as the world becomes more decentralised and power rises to match individuality over institution, like you stated in the piece, this is a good place to start