540
F. Lu
is not capital, land or labor, but knowledge. That is why it is actually the information
society, and its economy is information economy. Since post-capitalism society is
still capitalist, it is a society dominated by information capitalism.
Paul Hawken, who has studied and promoted green capitalism and business
ecology for many years, asserted in his The Next Economy, published in the 1980s,
that the industrialist economy is material economy, characterized by massive production, massive consumption and massive waste, which is non-sustainable. Material
economic growth depends on cheap mineral resources. With the oil price hike and
the emergence of computer technology in the 1980s, material economy is declining
and a new economy will appear, namely the information economy.
With the development of information technology (including artificial intelligence), many take information civilization as the new civilization of the future.
Some Chinese scholar said, “It is generally believed that primitive civilization, agricultural civilization and industrial civilization are the civilization forms that man has
experienced or is still experiencing. Today we have stepped into information civilization, a new civilization form after industrial civilization.” Others say the same
about ecological civilization—we have stepped into or we must embrace ecological
civilization, a new civilization form after industrial civilization.
3 Common Views of the Two Theories
Both the theories of ecological civilization and information civilization have their
theoretical and realistic basis. In reality, environmental pollution, ecological destruction and climate change are happening around the world, and IT and AI technologies
are exerting growing effects on the economy, politics, military, culture and education
of all countries.
Both theories need to search for scientific basis from new sciences. The ecological civilization theory resorts to quantum physics and ecology-integrated complex
sciences, while information civilization theory resorts to cognitive science and
information science that came long after Alan Mathison Turing.
Both theories must be defended with a new philosophy, which refers to ecological
philosophy for ecological civilization theory and information one for information
civilization theory. Both philosophies claim to be the new philosophy of the new
age and both criticize modern philosophies that support industrial civilization. For
instance, they both reject the subject-object dichotomy of human centrism advocated since Descartes and Kant. Subject-object dichotomy, or the division of humans
and unhuman objects, is the cornerstone of modern philosophy, and rejecting such
dichotomy is a common feature of ecological civilization and information civilization
theories.
Aldo Leopold is a precursor of ecological philosophy. His “land ethic” takes land
as a community that consists of such members as soil, water, plants and animals, and
regards man not as a conqueror, but as an equal member and citizen in the community.
Arne Naess, founder of deep ecology, held that there is no insurmountable boundary
F. Lu
is not capital, land or labor, but knowledge. That is why it is actually the information
society, and its economy is information economy. Since post-capitalism society is
still capitalist, it is a society dominated by information capitalism.
Paul Hawken, who has studied and promoted green capitalism and business
ecology for many years, asserted in his The Next Economy, published in the 1980s,
that the industrialist economy is material economy, characterized by massive production, massive consumption and massive waste, which is non-sustainable. Material
economic growth depends on cheap mineral resources. With the oil price hike and
the emergence of computer technology in the 1980s, material economy is declining
and a new economy will appear, namely the information economy.
With the development of information technology (including artificial intelligence), many take information civilization as the new civilization of the future.
Some Chinese scholar said, “It is generally believed that primitive civilization, agricultural civilization and industrial civilization are the civilization forms that man has
experienced or is still experiencing. Today we have stepped into information civilization, a new civilization form after industrial civilization.” Others say the same
about ecological civilization—we have stepped into or we must embrace ecological
civilization, a new civilization form after industrial civilization.
3 Common Views of the Two Theories
Both the theories of ecological civilization and information civilization have their
theoretical and realistic basis. In reality, environmental pollution, ecological destruction and climate change are happening around the world, and IT and AI technologies
are exerting growing effects on the economy, politics, military, culture and education
of all countries.
Both theories need to search for scientific basis from new sciences. The ecological civilization theory resorts to quantum physics and ecology-integrated complex
sciences, while information civilization theory resorts to cognitive science and
information science that came long after Alan Mathison Turing.
Both theories must be defended with a new philosophy, which refers to ecological
philosophy for ecological civilization theory and information one for information
civilization theory. Both philosophies claim to be the new philosophy of the new
age and both criticize modern philosophies that support industrial civilization. For
instance, they both reject the subject-object dichotomy of human centrism advocated since Descartes and Kant. Subject-object dichotomy, or the division of humans
and unhuman objects, is the cornerstone of modern philosophy, and rejecting such
dichotomy is a common feature of ecological civilization and information civilization
theories.
Aldo Leopold is a precursor of ecological philosophy. His “land ethic” takes land
as a community that consists of such members as soil, water, plants and animals, and
regards man not as a conqueror, but as an equal member and citizen in the community.
Arne Naess, founder of deep ecology, held that there is no insurmountable boundary