From: Eugen Leitl (eugen@leitl.org)
Date: Thu Oct 17 2002 - 05:55:08 MDT
On Thu, 17 Oct 2002, Anders Sandberg wrote:
> This is just a first step, and doesn't show any causation of course.
> Maybe high tech environments make societies more individualistic and
> less hierarchical, maybe collectivist and hierarchical environments
> seldom innovate or adopt new technology, or there are deeper factors
> affecting both (or a combination of all).
>
> If technology tends to drive societies towards centralisation, then
You're addressing a far stronger claim, and one which I didn't made.
Global trends in urbanization alone would seem to confirm it, though. It
would be interesting if you can ferret out more data confirming or denying
it. Bring on the good stuff!
I was addressing merely the fact that technology advances alone allow for
a much closer tracking of what is happening elsewhere, selectively
empowering these who are in possesson of that information. The value of
the network, or of a database is a function of its size.
I'm arguing that the awareness that technology drives power assymetry is
not widespread, and hence results in no palpable counterpressure in the
legal domain. Since a lot of these developments are irreversible we should
be pushing this information into the (unfortunately largely aphathetic)
public. I really don't care much for the way Emergents solve problems.
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