Infinity Thinking: Multi-dimensional Thought Processes in Idea Formation
Infinity Thinking: Multi-dimensional Thought Processes in Idea Formation
by Aaron Fahrmann
Course Information:
Innovation Studies: Knowledge and Process Foundations
IS5001
Arthur Harkins, Ph.D., Christia Fieber, M.A.
12-2-2005
Posted to The Corkboard Blog 09-15-2006
Excerpt:
THE DETAILS, THE WHOLE, AND THE NOW
As the future races toward us, or as we race toward the future, humanity will face immense changes. The wave of the future seems to embody genetic enhancements that will make us bigger, stronger, and smarter -- beyond our biological abilities. Are machine enhancements our destiny? We are the only species to have created the capacity to mechanically and technologically enhance ourselves. Will people accept these enhancements?
There are certain enhancements which seemed monstrous a few years ago, but have become commonplace as the late adopters and laggards (Rogers) have come to accept them. Technology which enhances the human experience of the world without compromising privacy is wonderful. Technology that allows us to control our interactions with our world is a great good. Technology that disturbs our evolution through interference with our natural human state is not good. While electro-mechanical enhancements have their intrigue, we incorporate many of these potentials innately within us already. We don’t need technological enhancements to become better, faster and stronger. Electro-mechanical enhancement, as so much progress before it, offers a new spate of disturbances to the universe’s natural balance. This balance is paramount to the health of our unique biological and ecological systems including humans, the environment and the earth. We have one of the most amazing biological machines ever created, devoted to our personal use. We need to invest time to learn to use it fully before we hunt for embellishments. Humanity is notorious for making grand leaps in technology without considering long-term consequences. We are forever mired in the details, parts and pieces without considering the Whole. Without the big picture in combination with the details, there can be no Now and the Now is where we most need to be. We have to understand the universe, our bodies, and the earth’s complex energy systems, before we start making improvements. There are instances where the Whole has been largely ignored for so long that electro-mechanical embellishments are necessary to maintain a life. Pacemakers, valves or stents, have become the current Now due to humanity’s attention to details without attention to the Whole. With a better understanding of human potential, even these things could be avoided.
Excerpt Citation:
Rogers, Everett M. Diffusion of Innovation. 5th ed. New York: Free Press, 2003
A complete list of citations for the paper are contained within the complete paper's PDF file.