07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 1

Technology, Globalization and Social Development

GE 301 Science, Technology and

Society

Ahmet S Ucer

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 2

Program of this year

• Technology, Globalization and Social Development (7 October 2008)

• Knowledge Society and Human Wellbeing (21 October 2008)

• Converging Technologies and Society (4 November 2008)

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 3

Contents• History

• New world order!

• Socio-economic system

• Globalization

• Innovation and creative destruction

• Globalization and Ethics

• Social development and globalization

• Conclusions

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 4

History

• Hunting – Gathering to Agricultural Revolution (religion) ~9000 years ago

• First ethical values and religious believes converge as city states start to form

GOOD ?

RIGHT ?

FAIR ?

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History

• The Renaissance (rebirth); 14th century - 17th century.

• intellectual consequence of renaissance reformist movements Marten Luther (1517),

• Protestant reformation,

• Secular thinking

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 6

History

• Scientific Revolution, 1542, Copernicus

• Eventually resulted in Enlightenment. (French: Siècle des Lumières) Age of reason. Enlightenment Philosophy was put forward in the 18 century

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 7

History

• The first indications of industrial revolution came with the French revolution in 1789, class distinction

• Why in Europe?

• Why started in Britain?

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 8

History

• strengthen international ties

• Free movement of capital

• Multinational corporations set up several bases around the world.

• Information revolution (globalization)

• 100 years ago was not too different than today!

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 9

The two mechanisms

• Soviet union collapsed in 1991 (end of cold war)

• Unprecedented leap of information and communication technologies

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New world order!

• Struggle between ideologies is largely at an end (Francis Fukuyama,1989, End of History)

• New struggle is between cultures (Samuel Huntington, 1993, Clash of Civilizations)

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 11

The socio-economic system

• Traditional – deriving engine:

• competition for profit

• competition for Individual satisfaction

• New– Tooled by ICT

• New productivity sources

• Organizational forms

• GLOBAL economy

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 12

Globalization

• Multi-dimensional – Political

– Economical

– Cultural

• Non-linear

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 13

A Strategic tool (ICT)• The entire planet is organized around

communication networks

• Present day globalization builds on falling communication costs

• Previously it was depending on falling transportation costs

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 14

Innovation

the process of making improvements by introducing something new

• Human resources

• System

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Creative destruction(J Schumpeter)

• 1942 Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy

• The urge of innovation destroys existing enterprises yielding new ones

• What about entrepreneurs?

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 16

The new society and productive source

• Information (knowledge) society - information and knowledge

• Industrial society - energy and raw material

• Agricultural society - Farming land

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 17

Globalization and Ethics

• Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” was relying on honesty, thrust and respect.

• Deregulation and neo-liberalism led to short term vision and a lack of ethical standards

• Personal to national to global ethics– Global warming

– inviolability of national sovereignty

– WTO and trade

– Foreign Aid

David Singer

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 18

Technology and Globalization Substitution and Dematerialization

• Examples of Substitution and dematerialization– Copper

– Oil

– Cane and sugar beat

R K Schaeffer, Globalization and Technology, Phi Kappa Phi Forum http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4026/is_200310/ai_n9316427

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Per capita GDP correct measure?

Joseph Stiglitz

• GDP Inc. but standards of living Dec. due to degraded environment

• Cannot sustain development by borrowing

• GDP measures what is produced in the country. Not the income of citizens

Making Globalization Work Joseph E. Stiglitz , 2006

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Social Development and Globalization

Consumption and Production

• Relationship of consumption– Inequality

– Polarization

– Poverty

– Misery

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 23

Social Development and Globalization

• Relationships of production (how people earn money)– Globalization of job market

– Individualization of labor

– Over-exploitation

– Social exclusion

– income generation in the criminal economy

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 24

Informational Capitalism and Social crises

• Flexibility and global reach

• Education quality

• Elimination of traditional agriculture -rural exodus

• Informal economic growth, welfare state come under attack

• The forth world

http://menntun.khi.is/sigurjon/IT%20Global%20CASTELLS.pdf

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Conclusion(redefining social development)

• ICT should empower humankind to enhance production

• Educated labor force is the main source of productivity

• Educated labor need multidimensional improvement in quality of life.

• Welfare states, with less bureaucracy will be the source of productivity

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 26

Social development

http://menntun.khi.is/sigurjon/IT%20Global%20CASTELLS.pdf

cultural development

innovation

economic development

institutional stability and trust

Conclusion

07/10/2008 GE 301 STS 27

Conclusion

THIS MODEL WILL REQUIRE:

• Massive technological upgrading of countries

• Dramatic investment in the education system

• Worldwide network of science and technology

NEEDS SCIENTIFIC THINKING , THE USE OF HUMAN INTELLECT and GLOBAL ETHICS