We’re optimistic that scientific thinking can explain the world, certain that the solutions to most of our problems are a quick technological fix away.
We’ve begun to treat vexing social and political dilemmas as simple design flaws, mistakes to be rectified through a technocratic combination of data science and gadgetry. Progress is no longer a dirty word.
The most influential prophets of this creed are in Silicon Valley in California, where, to the tune of billions of dollars, the tech industry tells a Whiggish tale about the digital ascent of humanity: from our benighted times, we’ll emerge into a brighter future, a happier and more open society in which everything has been measured and engineered into a state of perfect efficiency.
Kenneth Mikkelsen's insight:
What are the humanities for at such moments, when we’re so sure of ourselves and our capacity to remake the world?