But, overall, knowledge does give us power?
That is true. It doesn’t, by itself, free us. It is a two-edged sword. You can use certain technologies to promote freedom but also to spy on people. One of the core thoughts of the book where I descend from a strong philosophical and religious tradition, in philosophical terms from Socrates, is that I hold that the advancement of knowledge is not in itself liberating.
The general view today is, I think, that the growth of knowledge leads to a growth of human freedom. But the human world isn’t accretive in that way as the sciences. In human history what often happens is the destruction of whole civilizations.
There seems to be a certain monoculture in our thinking today, in our view of the world. Whatever side you’re on, most people would believe in inevitable ethical progress that is attached to the sciences.
There’d be different content, but still the general assumption is that we are moving to a better state. Now, my view is that politics and ethics aren’t like that. I take that ethics and politics are more erratic and discontinuous. There are serious advances, but then they are regularly lost.
And, unfortunately, good things are lost. For example, in the ancient world, pre-Christian Europe, there wasn’t a persecution of gay people! That was then lost for 2,000 years. That’s quite a long regression. People who believe in progress must allow the question, “But what about those 2,000 years?”
There are good events in history—there are genuine advances—but they are inherently fragile. That’s my key message.