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The Great
"Global Crisis of Maturity" and the New World Order
Old-Thinker News | Feb. 23, 2009
By Daniel Taylor
The Technological
Revolution
"Although technological
powers will be vast and progress will likely be made, the normal level
of social resistance and political stalemate is likely to oppose change.
Thus, it may take an occasional environmental collapse, global wars and
terrorism, or yet unknown calamities to force the move to global
consciousness." -- William E. Halal, Emerging Technologies and the
Global Crisis of Maturity
The technological revolution that will
re-shape humanity and our world is well underway. A cacophony of crises,
both real and manufactured, are being heralded as birth pangs of a new
global order. Some analysts say that we can no more fathom the
political, technological, and social world that will emerge as
"...chimpanzees in the forest can comprehend what goes on among humans
in a nearby village." [1]
We witness piecemeal examples of the
steady buildup to this catalyst every day in the media. However, they
fail to connect them in a coherent picture to demonstrate their
interwoven nature. The "big picture" gets lost to many. We leave it to
the "experts" to interpret these events and developments, but they often
present solutions that come directly from the establishment.
To begin, let's take a look at the
technological revolution. Nanotechnology, biotechnology,
information science and cognitive science (NBIC) are converging to form
what has been called the largest leap in technological progress in human
history. The Transhumanist movement is eagerly anticipating this
revolution. Some foresee the fusion of the human brain with computer
circuitry as leading "...to a truly revolutionary upheaval for the human
race." [2] Brain-machine interfaces; cloning;
genetic engineering of food, plants, and animals; artificial
intelligence; nanomaterials; these all stem from the NBIC convergence.
Some countries are currently serving
as testing grounds for technologies that are expected to be implemented
globally in the near future. For example, South Korea's "U-city" or
"ubiquitous city" called New Songdo - hailed as the city of the future -
is nearly fully functional. The city is wired from the ground up with
RFID sensors and other advanced computing devices to automate traffic,
surveillance and e-government. The marketing campaign for the city is
heavily focused on consumer convenience aspects of the technology,
reminiscent of the sci-fi thriller Minority Report. The U-city model,
being tested in New Songdo, is anticipated to be exported world-wide.
There is a reason this technology is being tested in South Korea. As the
New York Times reports,
"Much of this technology was
developed in U.S. research labs, but there are fewer social and
regulatory obstacles to implementing them in Korea," said Mr.
Townsend [a research director at the Institute for the Future in
Palo Alto, California], who consulted on Seoul's own U-city plan,
known as Digital Media City. "There is an historical expectation
of less privacy. Korea is willing to put off the hard questions to
take the early lead and set standards." [3]
Some believe that ubiquitous computing
technology, also known as the "Internet of Things", is heralding the
beginning of a "unified global intelligence." This global
intelligence will consist of a vast network of places, things and people
that have been given a virtual representation in a computer network. William E. Halal,
professor emeritus of science, technology and innovation at George
Washington University writes,
"Even with the turmoil that is
sure to follow, this will mark the serious beginning of a unified
global intelligence, what some have forecast as the emergence of a
"global brain" - a fine web of conscious thought directing life on
the planet." [4]
Brain-machine interfaces
The current and ongoing technological
revolution has - as shown with the above example - a whole array of
implications attached to it. Advancements in brain-machine interfaces
provide one of the most startling examples. Fred C. Ikle, former
undersecretary of defense for policy under the Reagan administration,
and author of The Ultimate Threat to Nations: Annihilation from
Within, is anticipating the development of advanced
brain-machine interfaces. It is this development that Ikle sees as the
most revolutionary. He writes,
"In my judgment, the greatest,
most profound transformation of the human condition will not derive
from the prolongation of life, or from the anxiously debated - and
probably vastly overrated - possibilities of human cloning and
"designer babies." Instead, I see an effective synthesis of the
computer with living human brains as the agent that will lead to a
truly revolutionary upheaval for the human race."[5]
These interfaces, Ikle writes, could
spark a race between superpowers to create a super-advanced think tank.
This brain-computer symbiosis would come from a group of individuals
connected to a central computer.
"Its purpose would be greatly to
enrich and expand what advanced computers can do by creating a
symbiosis between, on one side, a computer system designed for this
purpose, and on the other side, the judgmental capacities and
essential emotive functions of the human brain. The contribution of
the living human brain would probably not come from one individual
"hooked up" to a computer, but from computer linkages to an expert
committee or group of policy advisors. Such a symbiosis would be far
more advanced than the latest brain-computer links."[6]
Transhumanism
Brain-machine
interfaces lead us inevitably to the Transhumanist movement, which sees
technologies like this as heralding a new era of human enhancement. Most
researchers anticipate these technologies to be developed at first to
serve a medical purpose - such as restoring sight, allowing paralyzed
individuals to move robotic arms using their minds, etc. The initial
focus on providing aid to disabled individuals is giving technologies
like brain-machine interfaces public acceptance and support because of
its benevolent nature. Eventually,
however, these technologies will be used for enhancement purposes and
not out of any specific medical necessity.
The June 2002 conference Converging
Technologies for Improving Human Performance, organized by the
National Science Foundation and the Department of Commerce, discussed
this NBIC (Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information science and
Cognitive science) revolution. The lengthy report demonstrates the
intense attention that is being given to these rising technologies. The
report calls for the training of a new generation of scientists to aid
in the coming convergence.
"Education and training at all
levels should use converging technologies as well as prepare people
to take advantage of them. Interdisciplinary education programs,
especially in graduate school,
can create a new generation of scientists and engineers who are
comfortable working across fields
and collaborating with colleagues from a variety of specialties...
education projects need to be launched at the intersections of
crucial fields to build a scientific community that will achieve the
convergence of technologies that can greatly improve human
capabilities." [7]
The Knowledge NBIC Project, funded by
the European Union, is conducting research into the political and social
implications of the NBIC convergence. One of the project's recent
reports details the potential applications of these enhancement
technologies,
"...people may come to think of
themselves as ‘always already disabled’, that is, on the verge of
falling behind in a social world where regular neurochemical upgradings
are expected as a precondition for adequate performance. The first
stirrings of this general problem have already entered public view
in controversies concerning the use of drugs to enhance competitive
athletic and academic performance. The political responses so far
suggest that this... agenda may well be subject
to considerable regulation but it is very unlikely that its advance
will be stopped altogether."[8]
The United Kingdom Ministry of Defense
report DCDC Global Strategic Trends Programme 2007-2036 is
also anticipating the use of this technology.
"By 2035, an implantable
information chip could be developed and wired directly to the user’s
brain. Information and entertainment choices would be accessible
through cognition and might include synthetic sensory perception
beamed direct to the user’s senses. Wider related ICT developments
might include the invention of synthetic telepathy, including
mind-to-mind or telepathic dialogue. This type of development would
have obvious military and security, as well as control, legal and
ethical, implications."[9]
The RAND corporation has its sights on
this technological revolution as well. RAND's 2001 report, The Global
Technology Revolution: Bio/Nano/Materials Trends and Their Synergies
with Information Technology by 2015 covers these issues. Among other
trends, it foresees expanded globalization, reduced privacy and potential societal unrest
as a response to revolutionary technologies.
"The results could be astonishing.
Effects may include significant improvements in human quality of
life and life span... continued globalization, reshuffling of
wealth, cultural amalgamation or invasion with potential for
increased tension and conflict, shifts in power from nation states
to non-governmental organizations and individuals... and the
possibility of human eugenics and cloning."[10]
The Scientific Planners
"Man's
conquest of Nature, if the dreams of some scientific planners are
realized, means the rule of a few hundreds of men over billions upon
billions of men. There neither is nor can be any simple increase of
power on Man's side. Each new power won by man is a power over
man as
well." -- CS Lewis, The Abolition of Man
The influence of wealthy and important
interests in shaping current and past events cannot be ignored when
studying what the future may hold. Elites have always sought to project
their dominance into the future, and this modern world is no different.
Trends can either be products of an organic process or a deliberate
method.
As we progress into the future,
prominent analysts see a trend toward global government and a "global
consciousness" as a natural, logical, and
organic process of evolution. What these experts often fail to
mention is the fact that it has been a prime directive of institutional
schooling to prepare and condition youth to accept world
governance for decades.
In 1954 the Reece Committee, chaired
by Carroll B. Reece, produced its findings regarding the influence of
tax-exempt foundations in the field of education. The Rockefeller
Foundation, Ford Foundation, Carnegie Foundation and others were
discussed during the Committee hearings. A predominant theme in the
Committee's findings was the desire of the foundations and those behind
them to create a system of world governance. The use of propaganda and
social engineering were identified as the means to achieve this goal.
The Reece Committee
cited a report from the President's Commission on Higher Education,
published in 1947. The cited report states,
"In speed of
transportation and communication and in economic
interdependence, the nations of the globe are already one world;
the task is to secure recognition and acceptance of this
oneness in the thinking of the people, as that the concept
of one world may be realized psychologically, socially and in
good time politically.
It is this task
in particular that challenges our scholars and teachers to lead
the way toward a new way of thinking. There is an urgent need
for a program for world citizenship that can be made a part of
every person's general education.
It will take
social science and social engineering to solve the problems of
human relations. Our people must learn to respect the need
for special knowledge and technical training in this field
as they have come to defer to the expert in physics, chemistry,
medicine, and other sciences." [1]
Futurists and government analysts
often point to global warming and terrorism as defining crises of
our time, as a natural part of the "global crisis of maturity."
Today, these issues are often presented as a justification for a
system of world governance. William E. Halal writes,
"Intercultural conflict, weapons
of mass destruction, and threats of environmental collapse are
likely to force the move to some form of global community as the
best means for managing such nagging problems." [2]
Again, what we are not being told is
that these issues were identified by powerful interests many years ago
to serve as a pretext to prepare the way for "global solutions."
In a 1991 report titled "The First Global Revolution",
published by the Club of Rome, we
find the following statement:
"In searching for a new enemy to unite us,
we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming,
water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill.... All these
dangers are caused by human intervention... The real enemy, then, is
humanity itself." [3]
In order to gain a deeper perspective,
let's take a look at the earlier 1976 Club of Rome report "Rio:
Reshaping the International Order" which details a strategy to create a
system of economic and world governance. The report states,
"At the highest level, the level
of world affairs, international institutions must form the prime
movers of planned change."
"The achievement of this global
planning and management system calls for the conscious transfer
of power - a gradual transfer to be sure - from the nation State
to the world organization. Only when this transfer takes place can
the organization become effective and purposeful."[4]
Halal continues in his Futurist
article, praising the Club of Rome for its anticipation of these events,
"The major conclusion from this
analysis is that the world is facing a global crisis of maturity,
the most salient example being the near-collapse of the global
banking system in October 2008. Warnings of massive transformations
have been anticipated for decades by the Club of Rome and many
others. Today, however, the acceleration of change seems to be
producing a mounting series of severe global disruptions - energy
shortages as oil supplies peak, impending climate change and
environmental decline in general... continuing terrorism... as
globalization inexorably strains old systems to the breaking point."[5]
As these crises develop amidst the
rising technological revolution, we are entering an "Age of Transitions"
in which the elite of society - who have foreseen, and in many cases
manufactured these crises - hope to emerge on top.
The Great Transition
"It will be necessary
to replace today's cumbersome social systems, religious dogmas, heated
emotions, partisan ideologies, and other commonly outmoded forms of
thought and consciousness that now form the major obstacles to
progress." -- William E. Halal, Emerging Technologies and the Global
Crisis of Maturity
There are several futurists, think
tanks and high level government analysts that are both eagerly
anticipating and warning that there will be great social conflict during
this "great transition". They are nearly uniform in calling for a
casting aside of "outmoded forms of thought" to pave the way for a new
era. By holding on to "ancient ideas" of government and religion, people
are holding back the progress of the great technological revolution and
a resulting "planetary civilization". Some have compared the potential
impact of this transition to the social and political impact of the
Industrial Revolution. This new revolution, however, is on a much
grander scale.
Some call it the "Age of Transitions",
others the "Global Crisis of Maturity". Zbigniew Brzezinski called it
the "Technectronic Era". However it is labeled, it brings with it
major change and upheaval to humanity. Fred C. Ikle, author of The
Ultimate Threat to Nations: Annihilation from Within, sees a
widening gap between the "two souls" of society. One is dedicated to the
scientific outlook that has been freed from religious and political
bindings, while the other clings to the "stubborn past" of tradition and
religion. Ikle sees this expanding gap as a great danger to all
governments world-wide. Ikle writes,
"This widening chasm is ominous.
It might impair the social cohesion of societies, and of nations, by
drawing the human psyche in two directions: to the personal and
national identity that resides in acquired beliefs, memories, and
traditions of the past; and to the promise of greater wealth and
power offered by untrammeled technological progress... In the
scientific sphere, we are neither emotionally tied to our cultural
and religious heritage, nor pining for a final redemption. But when
animated by the world's old soul, we seek to protect our identity by
clinging to ancient artifacts from our ancestors and hallowed
legends from the distant past."[1]
William E. Halal stated in the
March-April 2009 edition of The Futurist that, "Some new form of global order is
needed to avert disaster." He continues, "The transition could happen
anytime, but it is hard to conceive of a future in which today's
systems could survive much beyond 2020, let alone 2030." Halal
writes,
"It will be necessary to replace
today's cumbersome social systems, religious dogmas, heated
emotions, partisan ideologies, and other commonly outmoded forms of
thought and consciousness that now form the major obstacles to
progress."[2]
Halal cites prominent pollster John
Zogby's new book The Way We'll Be as he discusses the rise of a
new "global generation." His description of this generation fits current economic trends
that point to dramatically lower standards of living, but frames this as
a "sustainable" lifestyle. The "First Globals" as he calls them will be
"...intent on living sustainable lives in a unified world." Zogby
writes,
"...we are in the midst of a
fundamental reorientation of the American character... away from
wanton consumption and toward a new global citizenry in an
age of limited resources." [3]
Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist
and futurist, believes that the globe is moving towards what he calls a
"Type 1" civilization. This civilization, according to Kaku, will be
technologically superior and constitute a world-wide system of
governance, a global language, culture, and global economy. The
transition may not be smooth, however. As kaku has repeatedly stated,
there will be resistance to the rise of this "Type 1" civilization.
In a 2006 interview Kaku stated,
"It's the most dangerous of all
transitions because there are some people who don't want to be in
type 1. They instinctively in their gut know that a type 1 system
will be a system of different discourses, of different ideas and
clashes of ideas and so on and so forth and these people who don't
want this transition are the terrorists.
In their gut, the terrorists know that we're headed for type 1. They
can't articulate it, they don't know the larger outlines of it, but
in their gut they don't like it."[3]
In an earlier 2005 BBC interview Kaku
said,
"...look at the economies. NAFTA,
European Union, Trading blocks, the birth of a new economy is taking
place.
Now there are people who don't like this transition, who feel in
their gut feel more comfortable being in a Type minus 1. They're the
terrorists. They in their gut realize that a Type 1 civilization has
flowing ideas, challenging orthodoxies, new bigger, wondrous ideas
popping forth. That's Type 1." [5]
As the world faces unparalleled
economic turmoil, America's decline is marking a historical geopolitical
time period. The re-ordering of the globe is underway. The "Global
Crisis of Maturity" - as envisioned by the elite - is ushering in a new
world order as advancing technologies dramatically alter society.
It is vitally important that everyone,
especially young people, gain their own understanding of what we are
facing. The school system may prepare you for the future, but only in a
manner that is self-serving to the establishment and kept within safe
confines to prevent organic change. This study must involve not just a
study of potential technological developments, but an understanding of
the nature of power and the elites that wield it. Social engineers and
opinion molders will be working overtime to shape society during this
"Age of Transitions" as societal norms are broken and reshaped, and the
political battlefield is thrown into chaos.
Related articles:
Trends to a
New World Order: Part 1
Trends to a New World Order: Part 2
Anticipatory Conformity: Will the Growing Surveillance
Panopticon Cause us to Self-censor?
Global
warming hysteria serves as excuse for world government
Orwellian Ubiquitous Computing May Build Ultimate Surveillance
Society
EU Set to Move 'Internet of Things'
Closer to Reality
Educators Seek
Shift in U.S. Schooling to Stress "Global" Values, See Nationalism as
"Obsolete"
Citation:
The Technological Revolution:
[1.] Ikle, Fred
Charles. The Ultimate Threat to Nations: Annihilation from Within.
Columbia University Press, 2006. Page 33
[2.] lbid 1, Ikle.
[3.] "Korea's High-Tech
Utopia, Where Everything Is Observed." The New York Times.
October 5, 2005. Available at: <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/05/technology/techspecial/05oconnell.html?_r=1>
[4.] Halal, William E. "Emerging Technologies and the Global
Crisis of Maturity." The Futurist. March-April
2009.
[5.] lbid 1, Ikle.
[6.] lbid 1, Ikle. Page
32.
[7.] Mihail C. Roco and
William Sims Bainbridge, National Science Foundation. "Converging
Technologies for Improving Human Performance." Arlington,
Virginia 2002. Page 21. Available here: <http://www.wtec.org/ConvergingTechnologies/1/NBIC_report.pdf>
[8.] Project
coordinator: Nico Stehr Ph.D. F.R.S.C. "Knowledge Politics and New
Converging Technologies: A Social Science Perspective." Available here:
<http://www.converging-technologies.org/docs/Knowledge%20NBIC%20D1.pdf>
[9.] "DCDC Global Strategic Trends Programme 2007-2036."
[10.] Philip S. AntoŽn,
Richard Silberglitt, James Schneider. "The Global
Technology Revolution: Bio/Nano/Materials Trends and Their Synergies
with Information Technology by 2015." RAND Corporation. 2001.
Available here: <http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/2005/MR1307.pdf>
The Scientific Planners:
[1.] United
States. Cong. House Special
Committee to Investigate Tax-Exempt Foundations and Comparable
Organizations. 1954.
[2.]
Halal, William E. "Technology’s
Promise: Highlights from the TechCast Project",
The Futurist, Nov-Dec 2006.
[3.] Alexander King & Bertrand
Schneider. The First Global Revolution. New York: Pantheon Books,
1991. Page 115.
[4.] Jan Tinbergen.
RIO: Reshaping the International Order: A Report to the Club of Rome.
1976. Page 100.
[5.] lbid 2, Halal.
The Great Transition:
[1.] lbid 1, Ikle.
Page 16.
[2.] lbid 2, Halal.
[3.] lbid 2, Halal.
[4.] 2006 interview
with the Conscious Media Network. Available here: <http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=641879988>
[5.] BBC Hard Talk
Extra. Gavin Esler interviewing Michio Kaku. April 22, 2005. Available
here: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/hardtalk/4483221.stm>
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