5.9 Creating a Resilient Society
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to (re)act. But as I will show, we have seriously neglected some of the most promising
options. It’s time to do something about this!
5.10 Time for a New Approach
Importantly, in contrast to the approach followed today, simplifying our world by
homogenizing or standardizing it would not fix our problems. It would rather undermine cultural evolution and innovation, thereby causing a failure to adjust to our everchanging world. Thus, do we have alternatives? Actually, yes: rather than fighting
the properties of complex systems, we can use them for us, if we learn to understand
their nature. The fact that the complexity of our world has surpassed our capacity
to grasp it, even with all the computers and information systems assisting us, does
not mean that our world must end in chaos. While our current system is based on
administration, planning, and optimization, our future world may be built on (co)evolutionary principles and collective intelligence, i.e. intelligence surpassing that
of the brightest people and best expert systems.
How can we get there? In the second part of this book, I will show how the choice of
suitable local interaction mechanisms can create surprising and desirable outcomes
by the process of self-organization. Information and communication systems will
enable us to let things happen in a favorable way. This is the path we should take,
because there are currently no better alternatives. The proposed approach will create
more efficient socio-economic institutions and new opportunities for everyone: politics, business, science, and citizens alike. As a positive side effect, our society will
become more resilient to the future challenges and shocks, which we will surely face.
5.11 Appendix 1: Side Effects of Massive Data Collection
Like any technology, Big Data has not only great potential but also harmful side
effects. Of course, not all Big Data applications come with the problems below, but
they are not uncommon. We must focus, in particular, on those problems that can
lead to large-scale effects and major crises.
5.11.1 Crime
In the past years, cybercrime has exponentially increased, now costing the entire
world 3 trillion dollars a year. Some of this has resulted from undermining security
standards for the purpose of surveillance (e.g. by creating hardware and software
“backdoors”). Other common problems are financial, data or identity theft, data
manipulation, and the fabrication of false evidence. These crimes are often committed
99
to (re)act. But as I will show, we have seriously neglected some of the most promising
options. It’s time to do something about this!
5.10 Time for a New Approach
Importantly, in contrast to the approach followed today, simplifying our world by
homogenizing or standardizing it would not fix our problems. It would rather undermine cultural evolution and innovation, thereby causing a failure to adjust to our everchanging world. Thus, do we have alternatives? Actually, yes: rather than fighting
the properties of complex systems, we can use them for us, if we learn to understand
their nature. The fact that the complexity of our world has surpassed our capacity
to grasp it, even with all the computers and information systems assisting us, does
not mean that our world must end in chaos. While our current system is based on
administration, planning, and optimization, our future world may be built on (co)evolutionary principles and collective intelligence, i.e. intelligence surpassing that
of the brightest people and best expert systems.
How can we get there? In the second part of this book, I will show how the choice of
suitable local interaction mechanisms can create surprising and desirable outcomes
by the process of self-organization. Information and communication systems will
enable us to let things happen in a favorable way. This is the path we should take,
because there are currently no better alternatives. The proposed approach will create
more efficient socio-economic institutions and new opportunities for everyone: politics, business, science, and citizens alike. As a positive side effect, our society will
become more resilient to the future challenges and shocks, which we will surely face.
5.11 Appendix 1: Side Effects of Massive Data Collection
Like any technology, Big Data has not only great potential but also harmful side
effects. Of course, not all Big Data applications come with the problems below, but
they are not uncommon. We must focus, in particular, on those problems that can
lead to large-scale effects and major crises.
5.11.1 Crime
In the past years, cybercrime has exponentially increased, now costing the entire
world 3 trillion dollars a year. Some of this has resulted from undermining security
standards for the purpose of surveillance (e.g. by creating hardware and software
“backdoors”). Other common problems are financial, data or identity theft, data
manipulation, and the fabrication of false evidence. These crimes are often committed