The coming?

 
 Let's shape the future with a civilized conversation

Individual freedoms and rights, democracy, market economy and tolerance are fundamental values. Exactly where one lands on various issues depends on preferences and priorities, but also on human views and worldviews. Arguments must be broken against each other, and it is an intellectual honor to listen to the best objections of your opponents, and reconsider your position and conclusions - while being confident in your values ​​and standing up for them. That who are happening - and that who not are done - needs to be described and discussed in the public domain. Otherwise suspicion, dissatisfaction and stagnation arise, where everyone is a loser.

Man's ability to cooperate and converse are two key factors that our humanity has risen from poverty, hunger and insecurity. Yuval Noah Harari has described this well in his books "Sapiens" and "Homo Deus". He emphasizes that we are now facing a choice of path that will determine how well the world recovers when the pandemic subsides: Create international synergies - or close inwards?

Today we live with institutions that developed during the Middle Ages and have a technology that our brains and our consciousness cannot grasp. These conditions have consequences for our health, for democracy, for the environment, etc. We are on the verge of letting technology get into our bodies where AI (Artificial Intelligence) has the ability to give us satisfaction and predictability in life but also potentially to take control.

 

The open society is threatened from a number of perspectives.

Not least the dictatorship of China challenges all people on earth with abuse and shadowing people on a large scale. And do not think that it only concerns those who live in the Middle Kingdom. China is the world's largest workshop and many Western companies have invested there. Chinese in the diaspora must report home to the Communist Party and the internet is global. We live in mutual dependence with a growing beast.

Putin's despotism in Russia and Lukashenko's violence in Belarus also affect the security situation here. As well as, of course, the nationalist movement in Europe and the United States. The open society has internal enemies. And they mean what they say and are prepared to resort to violence. There is a second Cold War, which will fundamentally affect the coming decades: individual versus collective, democracy versus dictatorship, optimism versus pessimism. And these tensions are also present in our country, which is noticeable in a polarized and aggressive conversation. Friends and families are divided over disagreements about both what reality looks like and where we are going. Meeting again is not facilitated by a fragmented and digitized world where we all find different information and images, selected by algorithms and like-minded friends. Fake news and conspiracy theories further disturb the view.

The truth is endangered in the information society. The feeling of a we and them is also strengthened by the instinct to want to belong to a group, which is why we are attracted to facts and stories that support our own perception or thing.

In addition, there is a postmodern paradigm in many universities - a perception that everything depends on what perspective you have.

But there is an objective truth and facts. These should be sought after and respected.

At the same time, positive things are happening; The technical development is phenomenal. Just think of what it would have been like to have to endure the pandemic without the internet and mobiles. Without e-commerce and streaming services. Without social media and video tools. Work, leisure, eating habits, exercise, housing, travel - and perhaps even life choices - are changed by the prevailing corona existence. In several ways for the better and these we can keep when we can meet again physically. Self-driving vehicles, learning machines, robots, artificial intelligence and the "internet of things" will continue to revolutionize our way of life in the near future.

It is up to everyone to use the tools in the best way. To be curious, to orientate oneself, to be civilized, to show consideration, to find one's own lifestyle and to be a good citizen.

 

It can be good to question and seek the right answers.