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Sociopolitical Transformations: A Difficult Path to Cybernetic Society
Since the second half of the twentieth century, there have been radical changes in all spheres of life, which qualitatively distinguish the new phase of development from the previous ones. The chapter is devoted to the ongoing transformations in the social and political sphere, which include: the increasing digitalization of all spheres of life together with their positive and negative consequences, the change in the demographic structure of the population (including global aging), the development of global interactions, the increasing interdependence of the countries of the world, etc. The most important factor in these transformations is technological development, the Cybernetic Revolution unfolding before our eyes. These transformations lead to a serious restructuring of the social structure and sociopolitical changes. Grinin et al. consider the shape of future society, which they call “Cybernetic W-society” in different areas: technological, demographic, economic, political and administrative, international relations, social, and environmental. They also consider different scenarios of future Cybernetic W-society. According to them, as a result of the completion of the Cybernetic Revolution and the achievement by the global aging of an advanced phase, a new society will be formed–Cybernetic W-society. It will be an elderly society, with the institutionalization of age differences, relying almost entirely on smart (cybernetic) technologies and AI-based self-regulating systems. Grinin et al. also consider other scenarios and aspects of this society. They analyze two extreme alternatives which are not likely to be implemented in their pure forms but rather indicate the limits within which the actual trajectory of global evolution will proceed: (1) “new feudalism,” (2) “World-Organism.” The former alternative essentially involves the reincarnation of a totalitarian-type system in the cybernetic era, whereas the latter alternative is a society where, in the presence of a deep professional specialization of the population, there is no discrimination, management is carried out on the basis of network technologies (network technologies are used to “synchronize” collective action and to exercise direct democracy). The second variant of development—“World-Organism”—is considered as favorable because it assumes cooperation, instead of competition, as a fundamental principle in development. Grinin et al. also note that ideology, which is of a universal nature, is of great importance in an effective transition to the second developmental option, which allows overcoming the confrontation between representatives of different faiths, nationalities, and civilizations. Grinin et al. point out that it would be preferable if we could move to a future society that is based on cooperation rather than competition and, at the same time, preserves the privacy, individuality, and initiative of its citizens.
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