DailyPost 934
DIGITAL THINKERS
Starting from the philosophers of Ancient Greece to political thought of medieval and modern times, economic thought getting intertwined at times from Adam Smith to Karl Marx were the prevailing thoughts of the day. With business and management becoming dominant; management thinkers ruled the roost in modern times. Economists and management gurus together have held hostage the thought process of world. Technology took the center stage slowly but steadily since the 20th century, the overall dominance of technology now is nearly complete. Unfortunate, as it may be, no technological thinkers have been born.
By the same cue, we have not seen the birth and growth of Digital Thinkers. Might be thinking in and of technology was subsumed by management and business thinkers. It is still difficult find anything under the head of Digital Thinkers. This lead to technologies jungle growth and its following the management bandwagon. But with the Disruptive Technologies moving in the direction of comprehensively ruling the world, it is high time, Digital Thinkers, ought to emerge in the same manner as philosophers, political, business and management thinkers have so far and guide the destiny of digital technology and the world.
Entrepreneur visionaries have given some direction to companies and products but that is certainly not enough. Bereft of any business, technology and political leanings these Digital Thinkers would put forth their ideas; the correct way forward or the benefits and pitfalls in the different directions proposed. A detached, high level, well meaning view of how the digitally enabled modern world would work in everybody’s benefit. A thought process beyond stakeholders fight. Objectivity, positivity and worthiness unchallenged.
Strange as it may sound Yuval Noah Harari, a historian, is the leading digital thinker of the day. Max Tegmark, a Physics Professor from MIT also falls in the same mould, thinking at work, direction expressed, concrete thought in the making as far as Artificial Intelligence is concerned. Technologists thought process can only be moulded by thoughts of Digital Thinkers. They would define the digital trajectory.
THE NICHE AREA OF DIGITAL THOUGHT IS YET TO EMERGE. Sanjay Sahay Have a nice evening.