The Struggle for a Human Future

The Struggle for a Human Future: 5G, Augmented Reality, and the Internet of Things

The Struggle for a Human Future reminds us of who we are in comparison to technology of today and the future. With its wireless networks encompassing the globe, the Digital Revolution is altering the very fabric of our lives with alarming rapidity. New technologies are bringing about an ever-closer union between human beings and machines, whilst at the same time transforming our planet into an increasingly hybrid “cyber–physical” world.

The current rollout of fifth-generation wireless communication networks—5G—is central to the project to create a global “electronic ecosystem” in which we will all have to live. This will provide the basis for an all-pervasive “Internet of Things” and the widespread integration of augmented and virtual reality into human experience.

But what genuine human needs will this serve? Does the planet really need to be made “smart”? Could our health and that of other living creatures actually remain unaffected by exposure to escalating levels of electromagnetic radiation?

As we enter a new era of extreme technology—driven by a momentum that seems beyond the constraint of any spiritual or moral consideration—both human beings and nature face an unprecedented challenge. Jeremy Naydler states that this is a challenge that can be met only by reaffirming essential human values and recovering a sacred view of the natural world. From this grounding, we can work toward a truly human future that, rather than creating even more pollution and toxicity, will bring blessing to the natural world to which we belong.

C O N T E N T S:

Introduction

1. Technology and the Soul
2. The Quest for the Pearl
3. The Advent of the Wearable Computer
4. 5G: The Multiple Assault
5. Bringing Light to the World

Notes
Sources
Bibliography
Index

About the Author

Jeremy Naydler, PhD, holds a doctorate in theology and religious studies, and is a philosopher, cultural historian and gardener who lives and works in Oxford, England. He has long been interested in the history of consciousness and sees the study of past cultures—which were more open to the world of spirit than our own, predominantly secular, culture—as relevant both to understanding our situation today and to finding pathways into the future. His longstanding concern about the impact of electronic technologies on our inner life and on our relationship to nature has found expression in numerous articles contributed to magazines such as New View, Self and Society,and Resurgence.