Reengineering and reinventing both democracy and the concept of life in the digital era

Abstract

This chapter discusses two issues that might appear unrelated, but both call for re–engineering and re-invention. The first section describes how the digital era opens tremendous possibilities for real-time feedback, frequent polling, and even online voting for virtually anything and from anywhere. It is argued that “direct democracy” (everybody gets to vote about everything) will create chaos. Within the context of hyper-connectivity, grand challenges are discussed: (1) how to identify and engage the right stakeholders for every particular situation; (2) how to design and implement systems, which guarantee wise and fair outcomes for everybody involved; (3) how to protect the authenticity of citizens’ opinions and their anonymity; and (4) how to achieve true and not elusive equality among all citizens. It concludes with policy implications. The reflections in the second section may become more relevant within longer-range horizons than the rest of the concepts considered in this volume. Nevertheless, people alive today have been tremendously fortunate to witness a number of scientific advances (the internet, cloning, and stem cell- and nano-technologies) that have already transformed our understanding of life and lifespan to such extents to justify revision of what it means to be “alive” or “immortal” in the computational era. Different pathways to Immortality are summarized and challenges for sustainability considered. The section concludes with discussion of policy implications with respect to (1) life extension, (2) authentic participation in governance, (3) accessibility of technologies, (4) privacy in a globally connected world, and (5) the right to digital euthanasia.