What would happen if someone in the future dissected today’s society? He probably thought ‘these humans are crazy’ or something like that. The journalist and writer Martín Caparrós has moved to the distant future to look at the present and tell how to live today in a world full of contradictions. The result of his research and reflections is The World of Then (Random House), an essential book for those who want to know better the community in which they live and try to correct some mistakes.
Is Western civilization coming to an end?
The political and economic hegemony that the West has held for the last three centuries is coming to an end.
Who will take over?
China. But it is difficult to imagine what this new model will be like, because the Chinese have very little desire for hegemony. In 1420 they made an expedition to Africa. When they arrived they saw elephants and rhinos. That didn’t interest them at all and they turned around. China does not want to export its culture. We don’t read their books or watch their movies and they don’t care.
The world has resources for everyone, but they are poorly distributed…
There is food for 12 billion people, but 5,000 have problems eating daily. Producers prefer to sell in rich markets, because they are paid more.
Is there equality between the sexes in today’s world?
In our environment, women have advanced a lot in the last 50 years. But the rest of the world is still missing a lot. Especially in Islam where many women have to walk four steps behind the man.
Does the system force us to consume?
The light bulb manufacturers met in Geneva in the 1920s. They had a problem, their light bulbs lasted forever. They had to contrive so that they would break down over time. They invented planned obsolescence and it was expensive, but they had to keep selling.
Is Artificial Intelligence a threat to employment?
The next great social struggle will be faced by workers who have lost their jobs because a machine has replaced them. They will try to appropriate the surplus produced by modernization.
Don’t brilliant people get into politics?
Politicians have convinced us that what they do is politics and in reality what they do is very uninspiring. In most countries the political profession is so discredited that it does not attract the best. Only those who cannot support a better vocation dedicate themselves to this career, so the intellectual and technical level is very fair.
