[ExI] "Toward a Type 1 civilization" by Michael Shermer

[Lee Corbin]

Samantha writes

> On Jul 30, 2008, at 11:15 AM, Michael LaTorra
> (quoting from excellent Michael Shermer piece) wrote:

I have to say that I too thought Shermer's piece really very
fine, though I do have a few criticisms. Maybe later.

<Type 1.0: Globalism that includes worldwide wireless Internet access, with all knowledge digitized and available to everyone. A 
completely global economy with free markets in which anyone can trade with anyone else without interference from states or 
governments. A planet where all states are democracies in which everyone has the franchise.>

> Yes!  This has been part of what I see as near term extropic
> goals for some time now.   The world wide web is how the
> true "global brain" comes into being.  Right now the global
> brain is largely stroking out with relatively random fits of activity
> and some actual good functioning.  It is nowhere near what a
> fully activated healthy global brain would be.

How right you are!

>  Here in the early 21st century the reality is that the internet is nearly utterly unattainable for much of humanity.  Even where 
> I am in the very heart of Silicon Valley there was exactly one and only one way to get reasonably functional internet access. 
> That is true in most of the US, that is in those places where you can get anything but dial up.   I just saw a map of AT&T 
> cellular data coverage of any kind at all in the US.  At least 90% of the country is dark.  Almost no place in the US has full 
> wireless (or even wired) coverage.  Given that how many products, ideas, applications, tools
whose benefit rises exponentially (Metcalfe's law ) are stillborn if they are thought of at all?  How many contributions to our 
total knowledge, power, understanding, joy, live are we missing by these great fissures and chasms in the global  brain?  If I was 
20 years old again I could think of few better things to make a career of than ensuring that the global brain is fully connected up.
<

Very well said again!

Sadly, I have been unable to find anything in the remainder
of Samantha's post with which to disagree. I was *sure* I
would find *something*. (I ususally hate "me-too" posts.)
Oh well, no one is perfect.

Ah, but I must skip over most the rest and comment on

   <The opposition toward a global economy is substantial,
   even in the industrialized West, where economic tribalism
   still dominates the thinking of most politicians, intellectuals
   and citizens.>

> This is in large part scarcity thinking at work.  It is deeply
> ingrained and it has more than a little basis in fact today
> even in relatively affluent societies.

Right yet again!   (Grrrr.)

Lee