On globalization
February 13th 2008 14:11
Yes! in a philosophy blog we can talk about economy too...actually we can talk about anything, as long as it's not too boring.
So, quick reflection on globalization. In early 90's, when we started hearing about the term, most right wing liberals liked it, and so did developped countries. Curious, they didn't see the results it would bring.
If there is someone that should thank globalization, it is China. And India. And all developping countries, that thanks to market overture and technology development saw their economies grow and finally his people have something to do different than become farmers and die at 35. Technology let us today have a company based on California which employs half of their staff in China (the factory), and another third in India (the call center). Okay, left people would say that most of the money is still going to US. Well, i don't know if it is actually "most", but before that it was "all". The people working in factories in China would be farmers if the german giant didn't come and opened a factory in town. And, for the next generations, there will allways be the son of a factory worker doing medicine, law or whatever. Don't you know anyone in your class whose parents came from an poor background?
Courious, still the left in third countries say globalization is no good. Left in developed countries is maybe the only guys that should be against globalization, and for protectionism.
But this is too short minded. Globalization is the first thing that is really making the world less unequal than it was. Before it, technology and human development was focused in the West, now it is spreading around, to Brazil, China, India, etc. Okay, we still have some rich bastards around, the first people that discovered globalization and used it in their profits, but this is the short term result, not the long. Consider that.
Anyway, globalization isn't a son of some people's mind. It is the son of technology and science. When internet spread and plane tickets got less expensive, the world discovered itself. Not as we did in the XVI century, when you took 6 months to go from Portugal to Indonesia.
So, in the end, this is another post in defense of technology (and science), which has been allways atacked. Mostly by philosophers..
cheers.
So, quick reflection on globalization. In early 90's, when we started hearing about the term, most right wing liberals liked it, and so did developped countries. Curious, they didn't see the results it would bring.
If there is someone that should thank globalization, it is China. And India. And all developping countries, that thanks to market overture and technology development saw their economies grow and finally his people have something to do different than become farmers and die at 35. Technology let us today have a company based on California which employs half of their staff in China (the factory), and another third in India (the call center). Okay, left people would say that most of the money is still going to US. Well, i don't know if it is actually "most", but before that it was "all". The people working in factories in China would be farmers if the german giant didn't come and opened a factory in town. And, for the next generations, there will allways be the son of a factory worker doing medicine, law or whatever. Don't you know anyone in your class whose parents came from an poor background?
Courious, still the left in third countries say globalization is no good. Left in developed countries is maybe the only guys that should be against globalization, and for protectionism.
But this is too short minded. Globalization is the first thing that is really making the world less unequal than it was. Before it, technology and human development was focused in the West, now it is spreading around, to Brazil, China, India, etc. Okay, we still have some rich bastards around, the first people that discovered globalization and used it in their profits, but this is the short term result, not the long. Consider that.
Anyway, globalization isn't a son of some people's mind. It is the son of technology and science. When internet spread and plane tickets got less expensive, the world discovered itself. Not as we did in the XVI century, when you took 6 months to go from Portugal to Indonesia.
So, in the end, this is another post in defense of technology (and science), which has been allways atacked. Mostly by philosophers..
cheers.
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