Technology Without Culture Does Not Work: The Future is Better

I’ve recently discovered a new sci-fi series called “Moonhaven”. I had a hard time getting into it at first as it started slow but it grew on me. It takes place in the future  when the earth is an ecological mess plagued by resource wars and where the strong take from the weak. 

The only hope is the terraformed Moon Haven colony on the Moon which has the special IO technology and well-trained people & society whose sole purpose was to prepare it for mass colonization from Earth. The mooners think and act with an abundance mindset and are thus better able to leverage and build new technology. It’s why the Earthers turned the tech and all their best people over to the mooners, their scarcity mindset coming from a crowded and war-torn land.

But trouble ensues as after several generations the gap between the civilized Mooners and now frustrated war scarred Earthers is so wide that the planned colonization fleets from Earth are being denied. Extremists from both sides bring violence to this paradise. 

It’s interesting as it covers so many relevant topics for a technology driven society like ours. The role of technology and how it tends to outstrip human ability to process and understand let alone adopt. How technology is dual use, it can be used for both good and evil. 

And that even in paradise, devils exist. That the quest for power will never leave us humans and some will take any measure to get it and keep it. Humans haven’t really changed over the last thousands of years and doubt this will be the case in the next future thousands. 

But at the same time, we all have hope. Hope for a better world and life for our children and future generations. Better to think of technology and view technology through the lens of utopia, versus the dystopian perspective we find ourselves in the USA, Europe & the West at large. This is not the perspective of technology in Asia or India and that is why they are catching up to us. If you think life will be better through technology, then you usually will develop more of it. And probably be more optimistic about the outcomes from tech as well. 

Hope is a great driver for progress and cooperation, which is why I love the main mantra of the MoonHaven society: “The Future is Better.”  I am happy to write that the vibe shift happening in America now seems to be in this more positive direction after the last 8-10 years of malaise.