The nineteenth-century Russian writer Alexander Herzen’s greatest fear when thinking about the future has come true. He said “What I’m really afraid of is Genghis Khan with a telegraph.” The absolute autocrat with all the apparatus of technology at his command, able to exert total dominion over his subjects. You’re probably ahead of me, seeing in your mind’s eye the ever-smirking face of Xi Jinping, the Genghis Khan of our time.
Technology has been encouraged and has flourished to such an extent that it has become a political and social threat.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Easter flash sale:
10 issues for $1
Subscribe this Easter and get the next 10 issues of the magazine, plus website and app access, all for just $1.
- Weekly delivery of the magazine
- Unlimited access to spectator.com.au and app
- Spectator Australia podcasts and newsletters
- Full access to spectator.co.uk
Comments
Easter flash sale: 10 issues for $1
Join the conversation with other Spectator Australia readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.
CLAIM OFFER 10 issues for $1Already a subscriber? Log in