By Shriraksha Mohan
In the long history of human civilization, humanity has witnessed an evolution in the ways our societies and economies have? been organized over time. Early humans, who lived in close-knit tribes and clans for their survival and protection against the elements of nature, depended on their collective physical labor to procure food, water, wood for cooking and heating, animal hides for clothing, and other necessities of life.
With time, human ingenuity led to new inventions and discoveries. Better tools, and methods to accomplish mundane tasks made day-to-day life less physically arduous. The physical energy people had to expend for survival was reduced. This also changed the social and economic institutions of that time. The nature of work changed too. From using sheer physical strength to make a livelihood to acquiring new skills to operate new machines, humans learned to adapt to change and grow their potentialities. People were engaged in certain occupations based on specific skills to earn a living, and the products of their labor were exchanged with others who had other skills through trade and commerce.
Further advancements in technology made some professions obsolete but also created some new professions that were based on other skills. For example, at a time when horse-drawn carriages went obsolete and automobiles became the mode of transport, the job of carriage manufacturers was no longer relevant to the economy. This may have caused temporary disruption at the time, but automobile engineering, manufacturing, and operating cars, buses, and trains were the new occupations that created new jobs. The society and economy adapted to change and evolved.
Human ingenuity, time, and energy, which were used before for only securing food, clothing, and shelter, were directed toward subtler pursuits with the advent of technology. Science, philosophy, art, and intellectual pursuits dawned upon humanity. People began to develop themselves in the realm of mind. Applying one’s mind to accomplish a task became more important than applying one’s physical strength. Occupations based on mental labor became predominant. Change and adaptation to change resulted in the expansion of humanity’s collective mental capacity.
Today, with the availability of advanced computing technologies and artificial intelligence, we can also outsource mentally arduous tasks to computers and smartphones. Tasks such as complex mathematical calculations, analysis of big sets of data, and even making decisions based on this analysis, are all done by computers far more quickly and efficiently than humans can ever do. Some of these AI-powered decisions are questionable, influenced by human biases, and require stringent regulation. Technology has made life complicated in some ways. That being said, the technology we have today at our fingertips has eased mental drudgery to a large extent.
In recent times, there has also been a lot of discussion about Artificial Intelligence replacing humans in most fields of work. AI-driven unemployment is a looming concern. While this scenario is possible, it need not be a threat to our economy, society, or collective existence. Technology-led disruption in the economy has happened in the past and humans have overcome the disruption with resilience. In the 21st century, adaptation to change calls for a change in our values. Our resilience depends upon our ability to reflect on what it means to be human in a world dominated by technology that is intelligent enough to replace humans.
If new technologies can take over most jobs in the next few years, then what could humans do with their individual and collective potential? What kind of values should we embrace to make benign economic decisions while we adjust to change? What unique strengths can humans bring to this economy and the world?
If I were to plan an economy for the optimal utilization of human potentialities, and rational distribution of the planet’s resources to build a better world, I would want to be guided by a holistic socio-economic model like Prout. Why Prout? There are several reasons.
1. Prout recognizes that every one of us has physical, mental, and spiritual potentialities to offer to the world. Humans are not merely cogs in the wheels of economic machinery. There is an untapped human potential in the mental and spiritual spheres of existence that is waiting to be expressed. Other economic theories rooted in materialism have not paid much attention to these aspects of human nature. So far, humans have only used physical might and some amount of intelligence to create everything we see around us. Intelligence can take many forms. Imagine a world we could build together with our spiritually elevated minds! Material growth is limited by the limited availability of the planet’s physical resources. However, growth need not be physical or material alone. The possibility of infinite growth in spiritual and mental realms is taken into consideration in Prout, and the economy is structured to enable this form of infinite growth.
2. There is an emphasis in Prout on achieving a balance in the utilization of physical, mental, and spiritual potentialities, with progressive adjustments made according to time, place, and personal factors. The goal of economic planning in a Prout development model is to create ideal socio-economic conditions for everyone’s unique abilities to flourish and be properly utilized for the benefit of society. In Prout, decentralized and democratic economic planning methods coupled with rational distribution ensure everyone’s basic needs are satisfied with an ever-increasing purchasing capacity. When there is material abundance for all, people are less consumed by mundane worries. They need not and may not work as much as they did before out of economic insecurity. Such circumstances create abundant opportunities for people to develop and use their potential in the mental and spiritual realms of human existence. The proper use of spiritual potentiality paves the way for self-realization, which is an innate human need.
3. Prout recognizes that all life forms of the planet – humans, animals, plants – have an existential value, and share a kinship based on the universal outlook of Cosmic Inheritance. All beings have inherited the resources of this universe together as fellow inhabitants of the universe. All have a right to live and enjoy the resources of the universe as kin. People may begin to accept this interconnectedness and inclusive worldview, eventually, when they get more opportunities for mental expansion and spiritual growth in a Prout economic model. A development paradigm that is influenced by this type of mindset offers a path for progress that cannot be rooted in harm to other species and cannot support the reckless extraction of the planet’s resources. This model of growth becomes an economy of care and compassion that can address interrelated crises like climate disasters, biodiversity loss, and depletion of the planet’s finite resources. Humans thrive when the planet thrives. Prout can create a win-win situation for all.
Cardinal human values must be first established by every means. Those having these qualities are to be given responsibility of any
technological tools.
Thanks for the input, Atmaram.