Whoa ... what an interesting and intelligent discussion. I have had the exact same attitude towards the WEF -- dismissing the crazy conspiracy theories, but wondering if there is not a kernal of truth to the view that they're not all benevolent peace-loving folks just promoting global trade and international co-operation.
I think it's the threat to democratic control of one's own government that is behind fears about the WEF. International cooperation on things is, in general, a good idea -- but all international agreements involve some surrender of sovereignty.
So, for example, one of the main motivations for Brexit was the fact that if you're in the EU,
any country in the EU can determine who gets to come live in
your country, because of the 'free movement of labor' within the EU. So Germany can admit a million Muslims, make them citizens, and then they can come live in the UK.
I've read a couple of Harari's books -- they're very well written, and interesting but ... he's a bit weird. (He's a vegan, gay, and deeply into a form of meditation ... none of which are bad in and of themselves, but are signals that he's very receptive to non-mainstream ideas, pehaps more so than is sound. We ought to have a discussion about his ideas in a separate thread. More about him here: [
Yuval Noah Harari - Wikipedia ])
I agree with FoxFyre: It would be nice if someone summarized his views on the WEF, if he's written about it specifically. He's listed by them as one of their consultants.
[
Yuval Noah Harari ]
I think the background to all this is the huge, glaring contrast we now face:
On the one hand, we look like we're barrelling towards some sort of horrible war, as well as facing many big disruptive challenges (written about in more detail in N. Roubini's book
Megathreats, which everyone should read. Roubini is no nutcase -- he's a major investor who predicted the 2008 crisis. His book lists ten, count 'em, ten, big threats which the world faces.)
[
Nouriel Roubini - Wikipedia ]
[
MegaThreats: Ten Dangerous Trends That Imperil Our Futu… ]
On the other hand, we seem to be right on the verge of making some huge breakthroughs that will contribute massively to human wellbeing (by 'on the verge' I mean within the lifetime of people born in this century): the cure/prevention of cancer and practical fusion power are two, with many other possibilities: big leaps in understanding how the brain works, big leaps in genetic engineering that could see our descendants born free of all genetically-caused disorders, and with optimum IQ and physical strength; and probably other breakthroughs in applied physics, like near-room-temperature superconductivity ... not to mention things that are just plain fun, like a colony on the moon (and with commercially-viable space travel, the moon will soon have a huge population of retired people: 1/6th the gravity will do wonders for old joints and strained circulatory systems). Not mention AI.
So many wonderful possibilities for the human future ... and yet it looks like we're going to blow it. (Literally.)
Conservatives don't really have a theory of human history/society -- just a general appreciation of the dark side of human nature and a resulting suspicion of concentrations of power, especially state power.
That makes us vulnerable to quick-and-easy explanations of why things are as they are -- conspiracy theories. And it's complicated by the fact that there are, indeed, 'conspiracies' -- literally, 'breathing together' -- ie things that those in power wish to conceal from us.
Anyone who is skeptical about this should Google 'MK Ultra'. Not to mention the 'Gulf of Tonkin attacks' or the Iraqi nuclear weapons program that wasn't.
And now, even what we used to think of as neutral sources of authority have proven to be fallible -- thus the over-reaction to Covid-19, and the corruption of the academy which has seen the Left -- which used to be the side of Science and Reason -- rapidly retreating into post-modernist scorn for the very concept of truth.
Interesting times!
