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9/20/2007 9:46:35 AM
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Summary:
The principle of absolute certainty violates Heisenberg"s principle of uncertainty, theory of relativity and quantum mechanics responsible for 20th century advances in technology offering solutions to problems created by population explosion. Not only economic growth and aspirations of over 75% of global population but also economic and military might of major powers depends on modern technology. Technology is stealthily instigating social engineering of all societies and Muslims using modern consumer products are no exception. The stealth social engineering is impacting many Muslim-majority nations adversely.
Islam with the principal of "absolute certainty" demands submitting to authority of scriptures interpreted by clerics under control of autocrats. The on-going global conflicts are a result of Islamic parallel society that ignores established social, cultural, economic and political norms in nations guided by modern science and technology.
Fundamentalist belief driven jihad is promoted by the rich Muslim nations spearheaded by Saudi Arabia and Iran using an education system that encourages global jihad and terrorism. Terrorism or proxy wars are tools of militarily and economically weak nations dominated by political opportunist with expansionist ambitions to destabilize prosperous neighbors.
Scientific discoveries of 20th century have impacted on advances in technology and it challenges credibility of the absolute centric religious beliefs. The uncertainty principle stands directly opposed to absolute centric philosophy. Theory of relativity and quantum mechanics are build upon the uncertainty. Philosophically life has indeterminate uncertainties.
Technological inventions in agricultural productivity, advanced communications, transportations, healthcare, and production and distribution of consumer products to masses have contributed more in last one hundred years than that before 20th century. It has offered solutions for many problems associated with population explosion of last two hundred years.
Modern technology has given several nations an unprecedented military and economic leverage. Americans with certain partners led development of most modern technologies. China and India are rapidly building economic and military powers on sound technological foundation. Representative examples of technological power include spy planes to obtain visual images from the depths of mountains and deserts; the air force jets to pound cities, seas, and deserts around the world; space programme extending to the outer reaches of the universe; and biogenetic research to change genetic code of animals and plants.
The world with modern science is focused on practical activity, industry and engineering combined with a rational analysis of the outer and inner conditions for such activity. The innovative consumer products are producing a phenomenal change in societies, except those of fundamentalist orientation that resist transition from traditions to present realities. The world has shrunk as we can travel from around the world in a day. Our knowledge base is supplemented with digital technology enabling us to quickly revisit history of our lives.
The technologies were developed with a complex system of research sponsored by state, market and the military industrial complex. The coalescence of various military, economic, and political interests of states and large corporations has produced wonders for the modernized world, especially since the Second World War, when underdeveloped countries started regaining independence.
Genetic engineering technology is one of the greatest tools in hands of major powers; an act that ensures fundamental transformation of societies through a complete change of daily routines. The process has been going on for more than half a century, but results have become obvious in recent years. Staggering changes have already taken place in the daily lives of billions of people. What has been affected includes food they consume, what they do with their leisure time, how they were born and departed this world.
For 14 centuries adherents of fundamentalist following the principle of absolute certainty have yielded to the authority of scriptures considered to be delivered by Allah or God. The unyielding, uncompromising Islam created a culture of the loot and plunder spreading from Arab lands to parts of Europe, India, Turkic central and north Eurasia, etc. Spanish Reconquista’s and Catholic Crusades were in retaliation of expansionism forcing Muslims to retreat from Europe to Middle East and go eastwards. From 950 to 1800 Muslims established a permanent home in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Turkic central and north Eurasia. The success has created a mythical glorious past that was impossible to duplicate for two centuries as Muslims suffered colonization and political decline. Economically Muslim-majority nations have regressed relative to economic growth experienced in America, Europe, India, China and Pacific region.
Closed minds have ignored education in math, science, philosophy and logic starting 13th century by adopting Asharite philosophy of not questioning scriptures, considered absolute truth1* (*see, references). Continued adherence to fundamentalism has retarded economic growth of OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) Muslims with 1 of 1.3 billion global populations. Most of 57 Muslim-majority nations are ruled with the authority of scriptures interpreted by clerics controlled by autocrats. In a ranking of 177 nations on the Failed State Index (2007), 20 of top 40 failing states are members of OIC. Muslim-majority countries top 24 most corrupt countries of the world.
As technology instigated social engineering spreads, a realization that world is governed by uncertainties, not absolute certainties may dawn on them to prepare Muslims to experience renaissance as Christians did during 13th to 16th century. The renaissance opened European minds to scientific studies, giving birth to Newton"s mechanical physics and technology driven by uncertainty and relativity.
Technology stealthily promotes social engineering. It impacts quality of life with improvements and deleterious effects. The improvements are rapid transportation, instant communications, quality housing, advanced healthcare, highly productive farming practices, mass production and distribution of consumer products at affordable prices. The deleterious effects include environmental pollution, global warming, and ever present threat of nuclear and chemical warfare by disenfranchised groups including terrorists.
A graph of the growth of global population from 500CE to 2150 using UN 2004 projections (red, orange, and green) and US Census Bureau historical estimates (black) provides a revealing insight. Only the section in blue for year 1920 onward in the graph is from reliable counts, not estimates or projections. Data are presented in the table below:
Year Global Population, Billions
500 0.19
750 0.20
1000 0.29
1250 0.40
1500 0.50
1750 0.85
1804 1.00
1927 2.00
1961 3.00
1974 4.00
1987 5.00
1999 6.00
2011 7.00
2024 8.00
2042 9.00
It took about thirteen hundred years (500 to 1800) for global population to grow to a billion; two hundred more to reach 6.6 billion and projections are in next 100 years it may stabilize at 10 billion.
The cream of societies, a few percent of population ruled masses for eighteen hundred years and they lived a mythical good life that elite traditionalists never stop talking about. For nineteen hundred years with global population of two billion or less, traditional production methods satisfied low economic and consumption demands of global masses. Ravaged by tribal and religious wars and poor healthcare the life expectancy until 1800 was low, 50 or less. With medical discoveries for control of contagious diseases (malaria, TB, small pox, cholera, black plague, etc) and spread of European colonization for two hundred years, the death tolls due to epidemics and wars - except European tribal wars known as World Wars One and Two - have precipitously declined creating conditions for unprecedented population growth.
The technology is influencing social engineering of three dominant religions - Christianity, Islam and Vedic - and non-religious people. Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh have a common heritage and it broadly follows Vedic philosophy, teachings and culture. Following criteria used for grouping Muslims and Christians, they are Vedic sects. Of global population estimated at 6.6 billon2 followers of Vedic philosophy are about 20%, comparable to that of Islam (Sunni, Shia, Sufi, etc). Christians with more than 10 sects have a global population of 31.5% and of 17% secular, nonreligious population most (13%) are in communist China and Russia.
The followers of Vedic philosophy, Christianity (after the renaissance) and non-religious people are mentally, socially and culturally accepting of scientific and technological discoveries. Except Muslim minorities, India’s Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh and China with 60% non-religious and balance mostly Taoist, Buddhist and Christians represents 2.6 billion people, which is twice the combined population of Christian-majority North America (515 million) and Europe (730 million). Indian and Chinese have an open mind similar to American and Europeans. China, India, Europe, North and Latin America, and other Pacific region nations together represent 5 of 6.6 billion (75%) global populations. The economic, social, cultural and political aspirations of an increasing percentage of global population are now met by improved productivity made possible by technology of last century. The idyllic traditional lifestyle of a mythical past prior to 1900 based on absolute certainties is steadily being replaced by modern hectic lifestyle and associated uncertainties.
The demand for inexpensive knowledge and skilled workers to produce and distribute consumer products at affordable prices for masses in less developed markets is increasing. Many segments of manufacturing and service jobs have shifted from to China and India. Before globalization took root the demand for consumer products were confined to a billion people in North America, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. With additional demands from rapidly developing China , India and Pacific region the potential for consumer markets has grown to five billion people.
The desire for improved quality of life pervades people of all religious beliefs. Coping with social changes or engineering associated with modern products doesn’t have to be but can be a torturous experience for those who are unable to reconcile conflict between modern discoveries of uncertainty and beliefs associated with absolute certainties. Not all societies are functionally literate and receptive of modern sciences but all love using modern consumer products available at affordable prices.
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References & Notes:
Supporting Reference Essays by same author:
1. Neutralizing Jihadists
2. Quantifying Power of Knowledge
3. Please see, a graph of demographic transition from 500CE to 2150
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