William Easterly: Can Technology Solve Our Problems?

http://bigthink.com

I don't think things work that way, Easterly says.

Easterly: Technology is something that is very seductive to a lot of people. They too quickly jump to the conclusion that, oh, “We have all this great technology now. So the answer to all the world’s problems of war, and poverty, and disease and everything is just technological.” Just apply the right technology version 7.0 and you fix problem. Well that’s not how problems actually get solved – by technology. The technology only works when it’s embedded in the actions of, guess again, free individuals operating in free markets that have the incentives to find the right technology to solve the problem at hand. Or democratically accountable governments that have the incentive to find the right technology to solve the problem at hand. Technology is not a disembodied force that will solve problems on its own. It requires human beings to solve problems. So I don’t buy into this kind of Thomas Freedman worldview that we have this great technology, and all you have to do is sort of plug into the Internet, and globalization will take over and solve all the world’s problems. I don’t think things work that way. I think they require lots and lots of supporting human institutions that respect individual rights, free markets, democracy. These things unfortunately build up more slowly than technological quick fixes. They only evolved over a couple of centuries in the west, and they’re evolving slowly in the rest of the world now too.Recorded on: 7/6/2007

Easterly: Technology is something that is very seductive to a lot of people. They too quickly jump to the conclusion that, oh, “We have all this great technology now. So the answer to all the world’s problems of war, and poverty, and disease and everything is just technological.” Just apply the right technology version 7.0 and you fix problem. Well that’s not how problems actually get solved – by technology. The technology only works when it’s embedded in the actions of, guess again, free individuals operating in free markets that have the incentives to find the right technology to solve the problem at hand. Or democratically accountable governments that have the incentive to find the right technology to solve the problem at hand. Technology is not a disembodied force that will solve problems on its own. It requires human beings to solve problems. So I don’t buy into this kind of Thomas Freedman worldview that we have this great technology, and all you have to do is sort of plug into the Internet, and globalization will take over and solve all the world’s problems. I don’t think things work that way. I think they require lots and lots of supporting human institutions that respect individual rights, free markets, democracy. These things unfortunately build up more slowly than technological quick fixes. They only evolved over a couple of centuries in the west, and they’re evolving slowly in the rest of the world now too.Recorded on: 7/6/2007