This is a strange age we live in, when scientists are capable of altering the human genome, engineering plants to increase size, production and immunity to disease and doing a host of other practices which only a few years ago would have been considered strictly science fiction. Still, with all these advances in science and technology, I wonder if our lives as a whole are better for it. Surely this depends on how we use this knowledge.
Take the computer. The information age, though in it's relative infancy, provides those with access to it, the capability of researching and studying any topic you could name in nearly any language you choose, at nearly the speed of light. Knowledge of the world as we know it, the world as it was a thousand years ago, the known universe, nearly all the books ever written on any subject as well as current and ongoing research are all available for the price of a few key-strokes. There is also a vast store of religious knowledge available to us through libraries, book stores, the internet and television. There is not a single perspective on religion that has not been written about and printed for the public use, and made readily available to anyone with the initiative to look for it. Scientific research is now more widely available than at any other time in history. All one has to do is to be curious, and the knowledge will be literally poured into your lap from a hundred different sources. On top of all the rest, I get frequent invitations to sign up for college classes, at reasonable prices, in my home town if I want to brush up on any particular subject.
The only thing I find odd about this whole situation is that with all this availability, people are not becoming more educated, and may even be less so than before this information explosion. The fact is, people are not taking advantage of the information age, they are being taken advantage of.
For instance, the information/computer age has made it possible for news from around the world to be disseminated following any event in a matter of minutes. But that news is highly controlled by a few powerful companies who decide what will be reported and how. This highly advanced and effective propaganda tool has been used for nearly a hundred years in this country without so much as a raised eyebrow by most of the people who are it's target. These companies not only control news, but television, movies and advertising to a great degree. The tremendous wealth these forms of media generate has created a powerful tool for thought control which has been placed in the hands of a few extremely wealthy groups of people. No one wants to believe that they are being controlled. It is much easier to simply deny it than to accept it and try to do something about it. However, even a rudimentary knowledge in the fields of propaganda, media, news or war would reveal the truth of this matter. It is not a secret; people simply do not care to know.
As another example, take manufacturing. A few giant companies decide how, what and when to manufacture the goods consumers use. Consumers feel like they exercise control by shopping for the best price. The manufacturer puts products in the price range of the consumer but with the added bonus of planned obsolescence. In other words, certain parts are designed to fail after a predetermined amount of time, based on the consumer's tolerance level. Then they play on the fear this creates, by selling you a repair contract or extended warrantee. To us this just seems like a lot of nonsense, but to them, it is a calculated, scientific endeavor. Companies spend huge amounts of time and money researching these kinds of things for the sole purpose of increasing their profits. Wouldn't you?
These are just two examples of how the information age has made our world a little bit more dangerous for everyone. Can we really trust people to use all the knowledge they have gained in a wise manner and solely for our benefit? Indeed, I think we can only trust that people, and certainly companies or those who stand to make money, will only do what benefits themselves or provides them with more money. And since that is the case, there is only one sensible thing for people to do and that is to get more knowledge ourselves and use it for our own benefit and the benefit of those around us. After all, who do we expect to do this for us?
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