Hawthorn Hill Journal by Richard deRosa

Mismanaging Human Integrity

In his book “Enlightenment Now,” Stephen Pinker offers an optimistic prognosis for humankind. Having read it some time ago, and having revisited it lately, I find myself wondering if there aren’t some compelling reasons to feel a bit gloomy, even depressed, about our prospects as a civilization. Civil is indeed the key work. As I sit here looking out my window every day, and after reading through what are considered credible news resources most mornings, one cannot help but be struck by the preponderance of incivility just about everywhere. Perhaps my thoughts at this moment are clouded by the dismal view from my study window. It would be nice to blame it on the weather, but that would be unfair to nature. Nature goes about its business each and every day despite the relentless harm we all too enthusiastically do to it—and, thereby, to ourselves. The refrain, “when will we ever learn, when will we ever learn,” comes to mind. Ironically, we have the formidable capacity to learn a great deal and to create amazing technologies that have the capacity to do so much good for so many. Yet, each time we invent something with enormously positive potential, we turn it into something inhumanely destructive.

The drone is just one example. First a toy, then an amazingly promising research tool, and then it becomes a killing machine. And who knows what other ways in which it might be configured to commit vile acts against humanity. A newspaper several days ago reported on the hundreds of drones that are being used by both Russia and Ukraine. These are flying killing machines. Our ingenuity has made drones possible, but as is the case with so many of our inventions, the ease with which they can be manipulated into forces of evil is more than merely disconcerting. It is both deeply distressing and a catalyst for a gnawing sense of despair. I am not the despairing type, but as I age and as I think about the world my grandchildren will inherit, no argument in defense of optimism holds the sway it once did.

I do not know much about AI; nor do I really care much about it. I am aware of its enormous potential for good in so many fields, especially in medicine. Yet, a day does not go by without reports either of its misuse or its potential for misuse in the wrong hands, e.g., those without any sort of moral compass. Social media is another example. I have chosen to steer clear from it. Yet, at its inception it appeared to be a wonderful tool for people to keep in touch with one another, especially where distance separated them. What has it become now? A source of disinformation, disgustingly incendiary conspiracy theories, a platform for all manner of cowardice, and a place where the invisible can spew their venom and hobby horse fantasies to millions of people, too many of whom are far too easily manipulated. An example is the extent to which disgruntled individuals took to social media to turn the killer of the head of UnitedHealthcare into some sort of folk hero.

We discovered some years ago that plastic could be made from petroleum. Great. Now it clogs landfills, threatens the lives of fish in the sea and the birds that inadvertently swallow it thinking it a tasty morsel, tons of plastic wash upon our shores littering beaches…the beat goes on. Why we cannot box stuff in biodegradable containers escapes me. Well, I guess I am naïve. Those who argue for something to be done about this are countered by a plastics industry that argues not for a diminution of production, but rather a better way of recycling. In other words, we want to keep rolling the stuff out, you worry about how to hide it somewhere when it piles up.

We always seem to find a way to turn something potentially good for the welfare of humankind into something destructive. It’s as if we do not have the inclination or capacity to save ourselves from ourselves. The examples are too numerous here to go on about. I have just picked a few. Frankly, I could start with the wheel, and methodically work my way through to so many inventions that contributed so positively to our lives. Some might argue the thing created is not inherently evil and that is true. But the uses to which an invention is put, or a technology taken advantage of, needs to function according to a moral code that ensures that its uses and functions are for good and not evil. The question is, are we capable of self-control, of self-regulation? Just about anything can be utilized for nefarious purposes. Thus far we have proven ourselves, in far too many cases, to fall prey to the dark side of our incredible ingenuity. I have no idea how or when the tide will turn. I believe that our better angels will eventually prevail. But at what cost?

Dick deRosa’s Hawthorn Hill essays have appeared in “The Freeman’s Journal” since 1998. A collection, “Hawthorn Hill Journal: Selected Essays,” was published in 2012. He is a retired English teacher.