Entry 2
This one's on science and technology. Well, not exactly. I've decided that a
list of current topics relevant to any GP student (give or take 4 years), after
my teacher's rant that my class isn't familiar enough with them. I don't have a
real excuse for not having the breadth for tackling them here critically, apart
from the usual line that I don't take arts subjects. Trends like:
- Simultaneous rise/decline in ideological movements, taking into account
the dilution of political ideologies for pragmatic concerns contrasting with
religious fundamentalism, and related movements.
- Actually, the above point should be split up- the former influences the
latter in a fashion: with the gradual disappearance of nationalism/other
fiery passions initiated amidst the Romantic Period (the 1800's) the human
spirit, being disillusioned, looks to baser energies- religion- atheism as
the triumph of the human mind over chaotic nature, New Age pantheism, and so
on, with P/E/S consequences.
- Controversies of bioethics coming to a head~ with independent
researchers/laboratories and widespread exchange of information.
- Dominant trade of information as the most vital economic commodity.
Impacts everyone due to theory of "information overload",
efficient management and "sieving" of data taking on a new
importance.
- Globalisation. No, actually I shouldn't be chicken and leave it as that.
Influence of hybridisation of various cultures: theories only (since such
massive scale communications have never before existed) like the
watering-down of individual culture to accommodate the global citizen;
eventually a majority of people with mixed/contrasting heritage,
- Globalisation- New order economy (I'm unfamiliar with this) but this is
what I get, intermittently, from the Net and US-biased Time:
increased extent of specialisation of industrial centres in
resource-efficient production of local commodities with decline in
protectionism. Again, I can't say much here.
- Implications of increasing human lifespan coupled with decreasing
"occupational viability timeframe".
- Imbalance due to overpopulation in developing countries/shrinking
population in developed countries, projected to continue for the next 20~30
years at least.
-
NB I intentionally left out controversies such as the population bomb, world
food/water shortage, ...