Techno Utopians and the Revolt Against Science

After watching the films Connections [James Burke], Pandora's Box and The power of Nightmares [both by Curtis Adams for the BBC], as well as The Fog of War [Errol Morris], I have this strange feeling that what we are experiencing today in American politics is a deep and angry backlash at the failures and bill of goods sold to us by techno utopians who had the unbridled hubris to think they could be Masters of the Universe. It does not matter if they worked at Gosplan in the USSR or for RAND in the USA. Fundamentally they were all techno utopians who got it wrong at great cost.

As Irving Kristol says in Power of Nightmares, the Liberals have no explanation as to why President Johnson and RAND did not produce a Great Society and End Poverty. They also have no apologies for their failures.

Of course it should be noted that today’s Neoconservatives, who also can never be wrong and thus must presume that their knowledge is perfect, are making the exact same mistake. It is certain that they will reap the same whirlwind.

Until the Liberals and Democrats can first acknowledge these failures and apologize for them, the Right will run amok with its anti-science. What we need is some fresh thinking that is able to embrace science and technology with humility, respect for the impossibility of perfect knowledge, and an honest acceptance of the existence of mystery. It is past time to move beyond the approaches of FDR's years and the far right's Cold War use of FEAR as an organizing principal. We will only succeed if we stop looking in the rear view mirror and tackle the future head on. FDR is dead. The Cold War is over. Long live a new and confident Liberalism -- now to invent it.

I recommend viewing the films I cited above for a deeper and more detailed analysis of this history. One the curious things is that these films are not easy to find and view. Curtis Adams’ “The Power of Nightmares”, for example, was never broadcast in the US and the film version has never been distributed. Why?

You can also find more on my views on our need for more science in the post on Greater Democracy:

We need a lot more Science to Survive and Thrive

In today’s world, where long histories of human errors and ignorance compound and amplify the already difficult situations created by natural events, such as hurricanes, earth quakes, mud slides and so forth, what are we to do? Part of the answer is simply that we need a great deal MORE science, not less, if we want to survive and thrive in the 21st century.

Consider also that very many of us today share a yearning for a more satisfying "whole life". I suspect a majority of us are deeply dissatisfied with the empty life offered by hyper consumerism and celebrity madness required, it appears, by the processes of mass production with its dependence on mass markets. This dissatisfaction takes many forms. It also makes some of us very defensive and leads to lashing out and other regrettable behaviors, greed, looting and even terrorism of many sorts, for example.

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I can also recommend George Clooney’s new film on Edward R. Murrow: Good Night & Good Luck. Bracing and very timely. Note at the end of the film the footage of President Eisenhower defending habeas corpus as a fundamental building block of American democracy.

Posted by Jock Gill at November 15, 2005 11:09 AM | TrackBack