Shellenberger and Nordhaus criticize environmentalists for having a pale vision of the future. But the issue is not about being for or against technology. The question is this: do we invest in the education and empowerment of citizens such that they can wisely -- which is to say, selectively -- utilize technology in ways that help sustain both a high quality of life and a healthy environment?
I shudder to think Shellenberger and Nordhaus have come to this: calling for a new theology of modernization. The troubling history of modernization gives us every reason to be deeply suspicious of anyone who suggests we should simply take it on faith. Perhaps modernization has been, on balance, good for humanity, but we should not forget its dark side.
In "Evolve," Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus argued that only by embracing modernization and technological innovation can we overcome this century's formidable environmental problems. Humans have long been co-creators of their environment, and what we call "saving the Earth" will require creating and re-creating it again and again for as long as humans inhabit it.
In a new Breakthrough Debate, two scholars lend criticism to this new "modernization theology."
The call to put "faith" in modernization is cause for concern, contends Jon Christensen, executive director of the Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University. "The troubling history of modernization gives us every reason to be deeply suspicious of anyone who suggests we should simply take it on faith," he writes.
In another response, Leslie Paul Thiele, professor of political science and director of sustainability studies at the University of Florida, argues against a "black and white" view of technology. "The issue is not about being for or against technology," he writes. "The question is this: do we invest in the education and empowerment of citizens such that they can wisely -- which is to say, selectively -- utilize technology in ways that help sustain both a high quality of life and a healthy environment?"
The Essay:
"Evolve," by Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus.
The Responses:
"The Myth of Prometheus," by Leslie Paul Thiele.
"Oh Me of Little Faith," by Jon Christensen.