Reply #53: Yin and yang

[GliderGuider]

On the one hand innovation gave us the Internet. On the other hand it gave us cyanide gold mining. Aside from the value of any particular innovation considered within a specific context, there is a broader question. For me, that question is something like,

"Given the current social and ecological situation, as well as the observable trends in those conditions and what we know about the forces that shape human behaviour; on balance has human technological innovation been a good or bad thing for the species that share the planet; has innovation contributed to the crisis more than ameliorated it; and will more innovation change the observed trends for the better rather than for the worse?"

The answer to this question is very personal, and reflects our inner value landscape. My answer is rooted in the observation that while I enjoy the fruits of some innovations, I recognize that nothing happens in isolation from everything else. Since I see a lot of negative impacts that have been leveraged by innovation, by and large I see innovation as a negative force.

If I had been born into a world without so much innovation I'd still have been happy. However, I am where I am, so like everyone else I'll use the tools available to me to change the things I don't like about the world I'm in.