Not just a utopian dream
Many people will insist that the world we are aiming for is a utopian dream that could never become reality
- that human beings are too selfish to organise themselves in ways that benefit everyone
- that the rich and powerful will always dominate
- that the planet is overpopulated and already doomed to collapse under the strain of human civilisation
- that technology, rather than saving us, will be the cause of our downfall.
These people have a point. There is plenty of evidence pointing towards such conclusions. However, in the pages of this website we argue
- that these are not foregone conclusions
- that if enough people can be convinced that a better world is possible, that world becomes possible
- that if these same people can be united to help build it, a civilisation of which to be truly proud, could emerge
Our hospitable planet
Despite the stories of impending environmental catastrophe emanating from the media, our planet remains an extremely hospitable place for human beings. As a life-support system for us and other living beings its benevolence surpasses anything we can imagine elsewhere. With careful management of land and water…
- nobody in the world needs to be short of healthy, nutritious food
- nobody needs to be short of water, whether for drinking, cooking, washing, watering the plants, or even the occasional swim
- nobody need be starved of green spaces or opportunities to experience the natural world in all its glory
However, to make this possible, we need to radically change the focus of work and employment. Far more people need to be employed in the sustainable management of our most precious resources – including scientists and engineers, biologists and ecologists, horticulturalists and hydrologists, as well as foresters, farmers, gardeners, and construction workers.
8 billion people
Fortunately there is no shortage of people who can be trained to care for the planet and ensure that it is capable of simultaneously meeting the needs of 8 billion people and the natural world. Our species has extraordinary capacities and abilities, including
- the ability to rapidly learn new and wide-ranging sets of skills
- the capacity to organise and coordinate on a huge scale in the pursuit of common objectives
- the ability to feel empathy and care for our fellow human beings
- the capacity to live peacefully with one another and feel safe amongst strangers
- The ability to solve complex problems by working together and sharing knowledge and information
Alas, many of the problems that people are currently focused on solving are not the ones we need to be solving. Rather than focusing on how to achieve the 10 basic rights that we are calling for, a large proportion of human ingenuity and labour is dedicated to other things, such as
- surviving in a highly competitive economic system in which one person’s gain is often another person’s loss
- increasing the profits and wealth of large corporations and rich individuals
- expanding the sales of goods and services that contribute nothing towards achieving the 10 basic rights, but contribute hugely to environmental degradation
This needs to change. By empowering politicians that will truly represent them, people need to exert democratic control over the economy and the goals that it embodies.
Technology
Technology creates both opportunities and threats. It has always been that way. This is especially the case with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Under the present economic system AI threatens…
- to amplify existing inequalities by increasing the wealth and power of those who control it
- to increase unemployment as it becomes more profitable for organisations and business owners to replace human workers with AI substitutes
- to further undermine trust and democracy through its use as a tool to fabricate lies and and disseminate false information
- to help criminals perpetrate even larger crimes against society than they already do
- to advance so rapidly that human beings are no longer able to control what it does
For these reasons the development and use of AI urgently needs to be brought under democratic control. Properly regulated and supervised by governments that represent the interests of the majority rather than a few tech billionaires, AI could help us solve the problem of how to promote human wellbeing whilst also protecting the planet.
- Instead of concentrating power in an increasingly small number of hands, it could be used to strengthen the voice of citizens by facilitating their engagement in political and economic decision making and helping them to make more informed choices
- Instead of creating unemployment it could allow people to work fewer hours for the same benefits, or help them to move from tedious jobs to more interesting or meaningful ones
- Instead of amplifying the threats to society, it could be used to help solve our most pressing problems – the climate and environmental crises, our need for sustainable energy and food production, the prevention of illness and disease, and all the other problems that need to be solved in order to make the 10 basic rights a universal reality.
It needs to be emphasised that we already have the technologies needed to solve many of our problems. What is still lacking is the political will and the organisational capacity to apply these technologies at the scale required. AI could help us with this.