Ben, in the referenced message you wrote
>Technology and values, apples and oranges? Yes, quite right. But their
>both part of an ecosystem that constantly works towards balance.
Yes a whole system, but I'm not sure it is working toward a balance. I'd
rather think of the system as working toward bettering itself and trying
many experiments to see what works. This is evolution. However,
technology of any sort is simply a tool to be used to accomplish human
intent. I believe that what can be creates will be. Moreover, the
creators will consider their act as conforming to their moral code and
values. Other communities will use the tools for good or ill, but within
their values too.
>I am not opposed to technological progression; what I'm concerned about,
>however, is technological progression without moral advancement.
Moral advancement, IMO, is largely separate from technological
development. Surely some developments raise new moral questions that must
be considered. When movable type was invented the debate was should the
bible be made available generally. Today genetic engineering is at the
center of an international moral debate.
>At the same time, however, I cannot help but feel that this diversity also
>divides us and keeps us from working together effectively as a global
>community.
Yet many of the values and morals lived by people everywhere, of every
race, and creed are identical. Most of how people want to live their
lives is common the world over. At the beginning of the cold war a photo
essay called "The Family of Man" was published. In it is a photo of a
Russian father teaching his son to fish -- just as I a cold warrior was
teaching my son.
What I see is institutions, business, church, and governments fighting
each other to maintain their power base. Persons work with persons for
common good, institutions do battle. By persons I refer to many instances
of a person working with another person. These may be communities of
people, but they are small and they work in human contact with each other.
--"William J. Hobler, Jr" <bhobler@worldnet.att.net>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>