Renowned Kazakhstani political analyst Dosym Satpaev, speaking at Nobel Fest, declared that the new technologies, which were supposed to create paradise on Earth, are instead leading us into dark times. In fact, we are using them ourselves to plunge the world into a new abyss of obscurantism.
In the late 19th century, predictions about what awaited humanity in the 20th century were filled with more optimism than pessimism. It was a period of great enthusiasm for scientific and technological progress, which was rapidly unfolding before people’s eyes. Electricity, the telegraph, and automobiles emerged, railways and steamships were actively developed, and cinema and phonographs began to entertain people. As the famous science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke’s third law stated, «Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.» Everyone anticipated further magic and the triumph of human technological thought.
While the triumph of technological thought did occur, the magic seemed to have vanished. Two world wars actively employed technological advancements for mass destruction, turning it into an assembly line of death. At the end of World War II, the atomic bomb emerged, evoking both awe and horror. A film about Robert Oppenheimer rather effectively depicted this situation. As Albert Einstein said after the advent of nuclear weapons, «I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.»
The post-war respite provided humanity with the time for a new technological revolution in the second half of the 20th century, which, much like the late 19th century, accelerated human progress and sparked fresh fascination with technological advancement.
This phenomenon also found its reflection in popular culture. Amidst the endless list of various heroes and anti-heroes with supernatural abilities in comics, which experienced a revival with the advent of Marvel Comics and DC cinematic universes, some characters stand out as innovators.
One of the most representative and contradictory innovators is the character «Iron Man.» Wealthy, intelligent, eccentric, and talented engineer Anthony Edward «Tony» Stark seemed to embody the pioneer spirit of the powerful innovation wave at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, even though the character first appeared in March 1963. This period coincided with significant technological breakthroughs, such as the first human spaceflight, moon landing, and the invention of the computer mouse in 1963, thanks to Douglas Engelbart.
In the late 1960s, the groundwork was laid for another innovation explosion, the consequences of which are currently louder than ever. In September 1969, as part of defense research in the United States, the first building blocks of the ARPAnet network were created, forming the foundation for the construction of the «Tower of Babel» known as the Internet.
However, if the first two information revolutions, associated with the emergence of writing and then printing, helped human civilization make a significant leap toward enlightenment, the third and fourth information revolutions, marked by the appearance of the telegraph, telephone, radio, television, computer technology, the internet, and artificial intelligence, raised numerous questions about the future development of human civilization and the risks it may encounter.
It is interesting to note that the appeal by engineers and scientists in 2022 to halt the development of artificial intelligence, citing the need for humanity to prepare and adapt to a new world where such intelligence will not just exist but rapidly evolve, bears some resemblance to the «Russell-Einstein Manifesto» of 1955, signed by 11 world-renowned scientists, warning of the dangers of nuclear weapons.
On the other hand, the paradox of the digital revolution lies in the fact that despite the colossal increase in information volumes and access to various online knowledge, it did not lead to a new «Enlightenment» era for significant portions of the population. The rapid development of technology contradicts the characteristics of human nature, where the struggle between rationality and irrationality is ongoing, with the latter often prevailing.
Feelings, fears, and emotions frequently continue to dominate over analytical thinking. As a result, critical thinking is diminishing, and all moral compasses are being erased, leading to the justification of war and killing people simply because they are different. Instincts and emotions continue to play a significant role in perceiving the world, even when looking at it through a computer monitor or gadget screen.
Another myth shattered is that, with the technological revolution, the «enlightened individual» would become the dominant force in society. However, this did not happen. All the demons of the collective unconscious and irrationality have surfaced. It’s as if we are in a new version of the Middle Ages, where witch hunts, fanaticism, and numerous conspiracy theories thrive, and the Inquisition has been resurrected.
A crisis in humanities education has occurred, with intellectual meaning producers disappearing, replaced by trendsetters and soundbites. A vacuum of ideas and moral values has formed, quickly filled with various surrogates.
All of this is compounded by geopolitical chaos, a crisis in the international legal system, hybrid wars, and global climate change, which will only add fuel to the fires of new conflicts. Humanity is likely entering a new variation of «dark times,» and it’s uncertain whether the Renaissance era will arrive anytime soon. In these murky waters, there will always be many eager to catch their golden fish.
