Question: What is the biggest threat to world peace and stability and human happiness? Answer: Inequality Question: Can the internet and greater technology bring greater equality. Apparently technology alone does not level any playing field. That was the point of a talk I went to recently by Kentaro Toyama. Kentaro has a book called Geek Heresy: Rescuing Social Change from the Culture of Technology. He argues that getting everyone online will not eliminate inequalities. I'm sure there's counter-arguments, and these are still early days, but he's done some interesting research about how and when technology helps and who it helps.If the internet is not the answer, can it be changed to become a better answer? If not, is there a better answer?
Inequality does not create itself though. Look at nature for example, it is constantly moving in a state of equilibrium when functioning. Like balancing on a slackline - being in balance is a state of motion. Technology, nor centralized bodies fashioned to ideally lessen the "flaws" we as humans constantly exploit, will EVER bring equality. You need humans, society, and an economy to even get to economic inequality. As for inequality by itself, we are not born equal. If we were, we'd all have the same genetic makeup. Why, when governments impose laws to lessen inequality, do the laws so often lead to complacency, apathy, and stagnation? The answer lies all around you (if you don't already have your answer).... Look at what happens to a flowing body of water that get's dammed up - especially when the water begins to stagnate.