In Western societies, where the mechanical world view has dominated since the 18th century, we tend to evaluate developments through measurable indicators such as economic and technological growth. One of the most important features of this kind of thinking is that technical solutions are to be universally applied regardless of the cultural or natural context. The market economy, based on competition between autonomous actors, is an illustrative example of a mechanical system that is supposed to stimulate growth and increase welfare wherever it is implemented and practiced. The idea is that the business model is all-seeing; therefore, technology becomes the most important tool for social change. Today's global economy is a network of financial flows that are mechanically constructed without a culturally conditioned ethical framework. The result is that social inequality is “widening the gap between the rich and the poor and increasing world poverty” (Capra and Jakobsen 2017, p. 842). In a mechanical world view, models for development are unfailingly transportable and can be applied anywhere in the world.
top of page
bottom of page