Civilization and the Internet

The Ancient Greeks thought of themselves as ‘Civilized’ and thought of everyone else as ‘barbarian’. What they probably meant by it was whether or not people were familiar with their own local customs – they should have just said “Greek” or “Not-Greek”, not “Civilized” or “Barbarian”.

In the Modern World people use the word ‘Civilized’ to mean modern. Old ways are ‘Barbarian’ while all the new stuff is “Civilized”. It plays well into the idea that All Progress is Good.

Or the term ‘Civilized’ is used to cover everything they deem to be ‘politically correct’. When being judgmental, people used the term ‘Civilized’ to express approval, ‘Barbarian’ to express disapproval.

But important words need to be defined. If we really seek to be ‘Civilized’ we really have to have some fixed idea to aim for that does not shift with the popular taste or the political mood of the day.

Thinking about what Civilization has meant throughout History, at the most basic level it refers to those institutions and customs that allow for the greatest population densities. Barbarian, as the opposite, refers to cultural traits that keep population densities low, serving to engage conflict that either kills off population elements directly or serves to drive off population into retreat and emigration. Examples? Ancient China and India were able to sustain huge urban populations. Against this on the other extreme we have Nomadic Hunter Gatherers or Nomadic Pastoralists where populations were low and were actively maintained to be low – think the American ‘Indians’ or the Eurasian Steppe Tribes.

The other day I was reading a book that purported to lay out the next hundred years. Regarding the Internet, his comment was that it was ‘barbarian’ … I found the quote – “Computing culture is… by definition, barbaric. The essence of barbarism is the reduction of culture to a simple, driving force that will tolerate no diversion or competition”. Huh!? Sounds like he doesn’t like computers and so they are ‘Barbaric’… “by definition”. His definition of Barbarism, that it ‘tolerates no diversion or competition’, well that sounds like institutions that settle conflict and emphasize cooperation. And isn’t that Civilized? Remember it is the Lowest Population Density Cultures that allow for the most Competition, most of it very deadly. And as for ‘diversion’, the small tribal units that rise up and develop within the matrix of all the nomadic travel and the competing social organizations and individuals found in more advanced Barbaric Communities, well, are often very diverse, especially in regards to the development of new weapons systems to be used to advantage in all of their ‘competitions’.

It is the Civilizations that, on the other hand, prioritize conflict resolution and cooperation by regulating ‘competition’ and minimizing ‘diversion’ as a source of social friction. The author’s “definition” simply does not fit with the patterns of History. I think what the guy was doing was using a definition of Civilization and Barbarism that paraphrased “American” and “Un-American”. His book “The Next Hundred Years” was a thinly veiled manifesto urging America to launch a military assault on the rest of the World, conquering it before there could be any significant change in the balance of powers away from Unchallenged American Supremacy. Computerization, which could empower the Developing World, scares the guy and in his mind can end up hurting America more than it helps, so it has to be Barbarian – ‘by definition’.

Actually, Computerization has already proven to be rather ‘civilized’, insofar as it has been applied to organize or produce subsistence goods and to ameliorate the living conditions within the Modern Urban Sprawls. And the Sky is the limit. Left unrestricted Computerization and the Information Society could really collect and catalogue ALL information. Society and the Economy could be planned down to the finest details. Oh, and Crime and Corruption depends upon Shadows and Information Dark Zones. Complete Information would eradicate Crime and Corruption. A complete Civilization would definitely have a Computerized Backbone.

Yes, Computers have been used for assault and to divide, that is, Computers have had a Barbaric role in places. Barbarians use any Weapon they can find. Many Corporations and Political Activists have urged Computerization upon Authoritarian Regimes, hoping that “Freedom” of information would serve for the Collapse of Order, so that Western Corporations could swoop in and pick up the pieces. Use the Internet to spread Discontent and Rebellion – to burn ‘down Civilized Cathedrals’ so the Businessmen can get ‘a few golden candlesticks’ cheap at auction.

Yes, in fact the Internet can be destabilizing. However, behind the possibility of a little bit of destabilization, there is the huge potential for centralizing and collecting Information. This makes Control so much easier. Corruption and Crime were possible in previous Planned Economies, but with Computerization and the links between all Information and All Transactions, well, it won’t be quite so easy to make a bag of potatoes go missing as it was before.

There has been a previous Information Revolution in History. The Printing Press. It first arrived in China. The Chinese used the Printing Press to distribute Information Pamphlets. The first major printing in History was the title “Get Rich Grow Rice”, it was distributed free from the Government, and the little book gave precise details for building rice paddies and installing irrigation systems (“water always flows from up to down”) as well as setting out the calendar for planting and harvesting. The Chinese made much of their Information Revolution – Chinese Population grew enormously while at the same time larger surpluses were able to be stored to offset occasional famines and dry spells. Other forces eventually intervened, but largely Information proved to be a good thing in regards to promoting and maintaining a high population density… in being ‘Civilized’.

When the Printing Press got to Europe, it was used to reproduce the Bible, which was sold privately, and which effectively introduced Paulist Doctrine to the Masses. Paulist Doctrine? Think “Salvation” which is the code word for Free Sin and permissive Capitalism. European Civilization became fracture by Nationalistic and Class Wars and there was the rise of the exploitative Factory System, Usury, Rum Running, the Slave Trade. Of course, there was also the Chinese Style of Information Books getting out, though nobody ever gave anything away. The Printing Press Revolution in Europe was therefore half Barbaric and half Civilized – forces of conflict and selfishness offset by tools for production and cooperation. The Result still hasn’t entirely settled.

But the Computerized Revolution… well, it all gets cranked up by a significantly large notch, doesn’t it? I would bet on Civilization… eventually. The near view is a bit troubled, however.

The World presently is on the brink of disaster and I honestly can’t see it so swiftly turn back from the Edge, as it would need to do. So the Present Order is very likely to collapse and the 7 Billion people who live today will be confronted by a period of intense Barbarism. Remember that Barbarism cannot support any significant Population Density. As Economies and Product Distribution Systems break down, crowded metropolitan areas will simply starve out. I suppose when the dust clears there will be several hundred million people left on the entire Planet. Maybe as they rebuild they will be able to put Computerized Information Technologies to good use and perhaps introduce the World’s First True Civilization, and not the Hybrid Barbaric Civilizations we have had to deal with up until now.