So, what is Sinofuturism?
It is reminiscent of Europe in the days of Jules Verne. It was a time of ideas, discoveries, technological fantasies, and enthusiasm and excitement about the future. Despite it being a time of sharp class conflict, workers did not think that every new invention would lead to worse working conditions, lower wages or the factory owners watching them. Now, they are enjoying the same amazing optimism in China.
With every new invention, we fear it will be used to enslave us. The Chinese, however, seem to be unconcerned about such possibilities. That doesn’t mean they’re naive, though. Books such as Technodiversity are published there, arguing that there are several different versions of the technological future, and that not all of them are equally desirable. However, this is different from the irrational fear that prevails in Europe today.
“In China, there is an optimistic belief in the ability of humans to modify natural processes in order to improve them. This optimism is much stronger than the feeling that human influence is inevitably harmful,’ writes commentator Unherd. This is also reflected in the prevailing view of the workforce.
While Western governments mostly want to import migrants, China is rushing to produce robots.
Of course, new technologies will bring new risks and problems. However, the Chinese are better placed than Europeans to handle these risks and problems.
That said, it’s possible that in a generation, Europeans could be much better off than they are today and once again at the forefront of scientific and technological progress.