Since 1968 we have been living in a period of transition. There is nowadays great technological progress that disturbs balances. The uncertainty is reinforced by the fact that we have the feeling that we are economically declining. We feel that technological progress is no longer in the public interest.
The digital revolution and artificial intelligence can offer a very good perspective, but we still have the feeling that those who invest in it only pursue their own progress and consciously ignore the consequences for society. The “après nous le déluge” – expression, attributed to the French king Louis XV’s mistress Madame de Pompadour has returned. It meant that after Louis’ death, the nation would be plunged into chaos and destruction. The monopolism or oligopolies of the tech giants and the extremely large scale of the multinationals reinforce this feeling of uncertainty. In this article we analyze the negative facts. But we are not alone in this.
More and more journalists, philosophers and politicians are making a critical noise. Hence the title “Panta Rhei kai ouden menei”: everything moves, nothing stands still. It is a statement by the presocratic philosopher Heraclitus of Ephese, thus demonstrating that nothing in the world is constant and that sooner or later it will evolve. We must decide for ourselves whether this is in the right direction. But if the perception becomes erroneous, this will take hold like any idea: first taken over by the early adapters and then forming an early majority and finally a late majority. There will always be laggards that only jump on the cart when the phenomenon has already passed.
