AI Translation Evaluated: Effort and Risks

diff -r b0f58b3543b2 challenges-social--process.org
--- a/challenges-social--process.org    Sat May 17 12:24:55 2025 +0200
+++ b/challenges-social--process.org    Fri Jul 25 07:52:24 2025 +0200
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 leading
 context
 lines
-old line (by the AI)
+new line (by me)
 trailing
 context
 lines

@@ -37,6 +37,11 @@ I read a lot about new technologies rega

   But none of this is happening. Because today's real problems are not technical but social in nature.

+How do we decide as a society where we want to go together? How do we know what is true, and how do we know what is important? How do we decide what we ourselves consider to be reality? And whom do we believe and trust?
+
+These are the truly difficult questions of our time—and they have been important questions ever since humanity no longer had to fight for survival every single day.
+
+
 * Technology:
   PROPERTIES::CUSTOM_ID: technology
 :END:

@@ -82,3 +82,9 @@ These are the truly difficult questions of our time—and they have been important questions ever since humanity no longer had to fight for survival every single day.
   And after the questions: Please pass this text on to those who might be interested, in a way that shows them you have truly considered it. This way, it contributes to societal (self-)enlightenment.

   \#+latex: \footnotesize Link to share:\ \[\[[https://www.draketo.de/politik/herausforderungen-technisch-sozial](https://www.draketo.de/politik/herausforderungen-technisch-sozial)]]
+
+**"What does it cost to launch a satellite? 4 hours in Iraq."** — Dr. David Crisp, OCO-2 Science Team Leader, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA
+
+The internet initially increased the number of people required to control society, [because we could all publish](http://www.draketo.de/licht/politik/das-internet-durchbricht-die-strukturelle-informationshoheit). Today, it is reducing that number, as it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish who is actually reliable—or even whether we are interacting with a real person or a paid propagandist.
+
+How can we sustain our communities despite opposition from those who seek to prevent group formation? How do we resist [power concentration, surveillance, and fragmentation](http://www.draketo.de/licht/politik/machtkonzentration-ueberwachung-zersplitterung)?

@@ -88,3 +88,10 @@ These are the truly difficult questions of our time—and they have been important questions ever since humanity no longer had to fight for survival every single day.
 The internet initially increased the number of people required to control society, [because we could all publish](http://www.draketo.de/licht/politik/das-internet-durchbricht-die-strukturelle-informationshoheit). Today, it is reducing that number, as it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish who is actually reliable—or even whether we are interacting with a real person or a paid propagandist.

 How can we sustain our communities despite opposition from those who seek to prevent group formation? How do we resist [power concentration, surveillance, and fragmentation](http://www.draketo.de/licht/politik/machtkonzentration-ueberwachung-zersplitterung)?
+
+How paying attention to certain things changes us is described, for example, by cycling journalist Kate Wagner in her report on [how she was once invited to Formula 1](https://web.archive.org/web/20240301170542/https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a46975496/behind-f1-velvet-curtain/):
+
+#+begin_quote
+“I experienced firsthand the intended effect of allowing riffraff like me, those who distinguish themselves by way of words alone, to mingle with the giants of capitalism and their cultural attachés.”
+#+end_quote
+

@@ -59,6 +59,13 @@ These are the truly difficult questions of our time—and they have been important questions ever since humanity no longer had to fight for survival every single day.
 :END:
   However, the decision of which technology we use and which we allow or limit—or develop only defensively—is a social decision. While our understanding of technology improves and the number of natural scientists continues to rise, the social sciences stagnate: disciplines like psychology, sociology, and political science that explore how we make decisions in groups and how we can make better decisions. Despite the fact that technology—through Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and extensive communication analysis—has opened gold mines for social sciences, they receive little support. And that is a problem.

+And unfortunately, this too is a social issue. As a society, we must recognize that the key to solving the major problems of our time lies in the social sciences. More precisely, in social sciences that serve the common good and help everyone understand how people can make meaningful decisions in groups—especially when different interests are at odds.
+
+These sciences must seek out (and communicate) ways to organize society so that more people can see which measures truly align with their interests and what other interests exist. This would ensure that politics acts more in the interest of the people it represents.
+
+Additionally, they should help societies assess the consequences of their collective decisions—to understand what freedoms they truly have and which choices would have side effects that we would consider worse than their immediate benefits.
+
+
 * Enlightenment:
   PROPERTIES::CUSTOM_ID: enlightenment
 :END:

@@ -76,15 +76,21 @@ Additionally, they should help societies assess the consequences of their collective decisions—to understand what freedoms they truly have and which choices would have side effects that we would consider worse than their immediate benefits.
   It begins with questions:

   * Which sources of information do I trust?
-  * How do the things I focus on change me? \[fn:experience]
+  * How do the things I focus my attention on change me? \[fn:experience]
   * Who do I want to work with?
-  * Who do I discuss news with? Do we question the sources?
+  * With whom do I discuss news? Do we question the sources?
   * Where can I discuss news confidentially?
-  * Who do I want to create change with?
-  * Who do I want to spend my free time with?
+  * With whom do I want to create change?
+  * With whom do I want to spend my free time?
+  * From which groups can a larger movement emerge?
+  * How can we sustain it?
   * What do I want to change?
   * What do I want to preserve?
-  * How do I ensure that my representatives understand what matters to me?
+  * How does my elected representative inform me about what they have achieved for me thanks to my vote?
+  * How do I ensure that those representing me understand what matters to me?
+  * To whom have I entrusted the task of representing my interests?
+  * What gives me the courage to take action?
+

   And after the questions: Please pass this text on to those who might be interested, in a way that shows them you have truly considered it. This way, it contributes to societal (self-)enlightenment.

@@ -67,6 +67,13 @@ money exists too. It is just used differ
 But none of this is happening. Because today's real problems are not
 technical but social in nature.

+
+#+html: <div style="float:right;font-size:smaller;padding-left:0.5em;">
+#+attr_latex: :width 0.3\textwidth
+#+caption: My @@html:<br />@@sign for Science @@html:<br />@@March, Stuttgart 2017
+[[file:2017-04-science-march-stuttgart-woher-weißt-du-was-stimmt.jpg]]
+#+html: </div>
+
 How do we decide as a society where we want to go together? How do we
 know what is true, and how do we know what is important? How do we
 decide what we ourselves consider to be reality? And whom do we

@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 #+INCLUDE: ../org-templates/level-1.org
 #+title: The Challenges of Our Time Are Not Technical but Social in Nature
 #+date: <2017-01-01 Sun>
-
-# #+LANGUAGE: en
+#+LANGUAGE: en

 #+begin_quote

@@ -23,18 +23,18 @@
 I read a lot about new technologies regarding health, the energy transition, the future of mobility, or mobile phones. And for many engineers, legal or societal issues are "non-problems." I used to see it that way myself. But when I look at the world, it is actually the opposite: *Every technical challenge* we currently face *can be solved* if we, as a society, decide to tackle it together. The real problems, however, are not technical. They lie in the decision of *what is truly important to us*.

 * What is important to us:
-  :PROPERTIES:
+:PROPERTIES:
 :CUSTOM_ID: important
 :END:
-  If health were truly important to us as a society, then there would be no antibiotic-resistant germs because neither doctors nor farmers would distribute antibiotics like candy. Instead, billions would be invested in research on how to keep animals healthy without antibiotics, and doctors would receive training from independent, publicly funded institutions, while drug development would be more socially financed rather than by companies that need to sell in the largest possible quantities at the highest possible price. The money is there; it is just used differently.
+If health were truly important to us as a society, then there would be no antibiotic-resistant germs because neither doctors nor farmers would distribute antibiotics like candy. Instead, billions would be invested in research on how to keep animals healthy without antibiotics, and doctors would receive training from independent, publicly funded institutions, while drug development would be more socially financed rather than by companies that need to sell in the largest possible quantities at the highest possible price. The money is there; it is just used differently.

-  We see how much money is available in every war, where billions are burned without hesitation. For the cost of just four hours of the Iraq war, we could launch a research satellite into space \[fn:4hours]. NASA's entire budget is only 5% of the U.S. military budget.
+We see how much money is available in every war, where billions are burned without hesitation. For the cost of just four hours of the Iraq war, we could launch a research satellite into space \[fn:4hours]. NASA's entire budget is only 5% of the U.S. military budget.

-  Or, closer to home, we see it in the massive financing of smartphone development. As a society, we choose to invest enormous amounts in computing development—because most people constantly buy new phones, leading software to be developed mainly for the latest devices rather than for all devices sold in the last ten years.
+Or, closer to home, we see it in the massive financing of smartphone development. As a society, we choose to invest enormous amounts in computing development—because most people constantly buy new phones, leading software to be developed mainly for the latest devices rather than for all devices sold in the last ten years.

-  And smartphones instead of health is not the only example. If the energy transition were important to us, we would have stopped burning coal, oil, and gas ten years ago. We would have invested hundreds of billions in research and would be much further ahead than we are today. We saw during the banking bailout that the money for this exists. If combating extremism and terrorism were important to us, then no child in the world would go hungry—not even in Germany. That money exists too. It is just used differently.
+And smartphones instead of health is not the only example. If the energy transition were important to us, we would have stopped burning coal, oil, and gas ten years ago. We would have invested hundreds of billions in research and would be much further ahead than we are today. We saw during the banking bailout that the money for this exists. If combating extremism and terrorism were important to us, then no child in the world would go hungry—not even in Germany. That money exists too. It is just used differently.

-  But none of this is happening. Because today's real problems are not technical but social in nature.
+But none of this is happening. Because today's real problems are not technical but social in nature.

 How do we decide as a society where we want to go together? How do we know what is true, and how do we know what is important? How do we decide what we ourselves consider to be reality? And whom do we believe and trust?

@@ -42,21 +42,23 @@ These are the truly difficult questions of our time—and they have been important questions ever since humanity no longer had to fight for survival every single day.


 * Technology:
-  PROPERTIES::CUSTOM_ID: technology
+:PROPERTIES:
+:CUSTOM_ID: technology
 :END:
-  That does not mean that technology is unimportant. This is particularly evident in advancements in agriculture and medicine. Thanks to plows, vaccinations, and antibiotics, fewer people were needed to secure a community’s basic needs, freeing up workforce for education and research. And when guns and long spears were developed, nations no longer needed a lifelong-trained knight caste to protect themselves from neighbors. The invention of the printing press facilitated the spread of ideas beyond church structures.
+That does not mean that technology is unimportant. This is particularly evident in advancements in agriculture and medicine. Thanks to plows, vaccinations, and antibiotics, fewer people were needed to secure a community’s basic needs, freeing up workforce for education and research. And when guns and long spears were developed, nations no longer needed a lifelong-trained knight caste to protect themselves from neighbors. The invention of the printing press facilitated the spread of ideas beyond church structures.

-  Technology shifts the framework of our decision-making. It changes how large certain groups must be to dominate societal discourse. If there are enough autonomous combat drones to control a country and a small group of people has control over them, then others in society no longer have much say, making their discourse irrelevant. The same applies when self-proclaimed religious warriors roam with weapons.
+Technology shifts the framework of our decision-making. It changes how large certain groups must be to dominate societal discourse. If there are enough autonomous combat drones to control a country and a small group of people has control over them, then others in society no longer have much say, making their discourse irrelevant. The same applies when self-proclaimed religious warriors roam with weapons.

-  Technology can increase or decrease the number of people who must collaborate to control society, just as the internet initially expanded this number before shrinking it again due to the dominance of public perception and personal communication by a few corporations \[fn
+Technology can increase or decrease the number of people who must collaborate to control society, just as the internet initially expanded this number before shrinking it again due to the dominance of public perception and personal communication by a few corporations \[fn
 :informationpower].

-  And due to climate change, we may push ourselves as a species so far out of our comfort zone that technology becomes a real challenge again—so that we do not know whether we, as individuals, as a society, and as a species, can survive in the long run.
+And due to climate change, we may push ourselves as a species so far out of our comfort zone that technology becomes a real challenge again—so that we do not know whether we, as individuals, as a society, and as a species, can survive in the long run.

 * Society:
-  PROPERTIES::CUSTOM_ID: society
+:PROPERTIES:
+:CUSTOM_ID: society
 :END:
-  However, the decision of which technology we use and which we allow or limit—or develop only defensively—is a social decision. While our understanding of technology improves and the number of natural scientists continues to rise, the social sciences stagnate: disciplines like psychology, sociology, and political science that explore how we make decisions in groups and how we can make better decisions. Despite the fact that technology—through Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and extensive communication analysis—has opened gold mines for social sciences, they receive little support. And that is a problem.
+However, the decision of which technology we use and which we allow or limit—or develop only defensively—is a social decision. While our understanding of technology improves and the number of natural scientists continues to rise, the social sciences stagnate: disciplines like psychology, sociology, and political science that explore how we make decisions in groups and how we can make better decisions. Despite the fact that technology—through Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and extensive communication analysis—has opened gold mines for social sciences, they receive little support. And that is a problem.

 And unfortunately, this too is a social issue. As a society, we must recognize that the key to solving the major problems of our time lies in the social sciences. More precisely, in social sciences that serve the common good and help everyone understand how people can make meaningful decisions in groups—especially when different interests are at odds.

@@ -66,34 +68,39 @@ Additionally, they should help societies assess the consequences of their collective decisions—to understand what freedoms they truly have and which choices would have side effects that we would consider worse than their immediate benefits.


 * Enlightenment:
-  PROPERTIES::CUSTOM_ID: enlightenment
+:PROPERTIES:
+:CUSTOM_ID: enlightenment
 :END:
-  This means we need the next step of enlightenment: the path of human society out of self-imposed immaturity. If we all understand who and what influences our decisions, we can also decide for ourselves to whom we grant this influence. And that will be uncomfortable because, just like during individual enlightenment, immaturity is pleasant as long as we ignore its consequences. But as in individual enlightenment, the gain from responsibility and self-determination is far greater than the inconvenience of having to acknowledge reality.
+This means we need the next step of enlightenment: the path of human society out of self-imposed immaturity. If we all understand who and what influences our decisions, we can also decide for ourselves to whom we grant this influence. And that will be uncomfortable because, just like during individual enlightenment, immaturity is pleasant as long as we ignore its consequences. But as in individual enlightenment, the gain from responsibility and self-determination is far greater than the inconvenience of having to acknowledge reality.

-  This step requires you—the one reading this text. Because while we can only take many of the important steps in a community, enlightenment always begins with individuals.
+This step requires you—the one reading this text. Because while we can only take many of the important steps in a community, enlightenment always begins with individuals.

-  It begins with questions:
+It begins with questions:

-  * Which sources of information do I trust?
-  * How do the things I focus my attention on change me? \[fn:experience]
-  * Who do I want to work with?
-  * With whom do I discuss news? Do we question the sources?
-  * Where can I discuss news confidentially?
-  * With whom do I want to create change?
-  * With whom do I want to spend my free time?
-  * From which groups can a larger movement emerge?
-  * How can we sustain it?
-  * What do I want to change?
-  * What do I want to preserve?
-  * How does my elected representative inform me about what they have achieved for me thanks to my vote?
-  * How do I ensure that those representing me understand what matters to me?
-  * To whom have I entrusted the task of representing my interests?
-  * What gives me the courage to take action?
+  #+begin_kasten
+- Which sources of information do I trust?
+- How do the things I focus my attention on change me? \[fn:experience]
+- Who do I want to work with?
+- With whom do I discuss news? Do we question the sources?
+- Where can I discuss news confidentially?
+- With whom do I want to create change?
+- With whom do I want to spend my free time?
+- From which groups can a larger movement emerge?
+- How can we sustain it?
+- What do I want to change?
+- What do I want to preserve?
+- How does my elected representative inform me about what they have achieved for me thanks to my vote?
+- How do I ensure that those representing me understand what matters to me?
+- To whom have I entrusted the task of representing my interests?
+- What gives me the courage to take action?
+  #+end_kasten

+And after the questions: Please pass this text on to those who might be interested, in a way that shows them you have truly considered it. This way, it contributes to societal (self-)enlightenment.

-  And after the questions: Please pass this text on to those who might be interested, in a way that shows them you have truly considered it. This way, it contributes to societal (self-)enlightenment.
+#+latex: \footnotesize 

-  \#+latex: \footnotesize Link to share:\ \[\[[https://www.draketo.de/politik/herausforderungen-technisch-sozial](https://www.draketo.de/politik/herausforderungen-technisch-sozial)]]
+Link to share:\\
+[[https://www.draketo.de/politik/herausforderungen-technisch-sozial][https://www.draketo.de/politik/herausforderungen-technisch-sozial]]

 **"What does it cost to launch a satellite? 4 hours in Iraq."** — Dr. David Crisp, OCO-2 Science Team Leader, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA

@@ -20,66 +20,149 @@
 </div>
 #+end_export

-I read a lot about new technologies regarding health, the energy transition, the future of mobility, or mobile phones. And for many engineers, legal or societal issues are "non-problems." I used to see it that way myself. But when I look at the world, it is actually the opposite: *Every technical challenge* we currently face *can be solved* if we, as a society, decide to tackle it together. The real problems, however, are not technical. They lie in the decision of *what is truly important to us*.
+I read a lot about new technologies regarding health, the energy
+transition, the future of mobility, or mobile phones. And for many
+engineers, legal or societal issues are "non-problems." I used to see
+it that way myself. But when I look at the world, it is actually the
+opposite: *Every technical challenge* we currently face *can be
+solved* if we, as a society, decide to tackle it together. The real
+problems, however, are not technical. They lie in the decision of
+*what is truly important to us*.

 * What is important to us:
 :PROPERTIES:
 :CUSTOM_ID: important
 :END:
-If health were truly important to us as a society, then there would be no antibiotic-resistant germs because neither doctors nor farmers would distribute antibiotics like candy. Instead, billions would be invested in research on how to keep animals healthy without antibiotics, and doctors would receive training from independent, publicly funded institutions, while drug development would be more socially financed rather than by companies that need to sell in the largest possible quantities at the highest possible price. The money is there; it is just used differently.
+If health were truly important to us as a society, then there would be
+no antibiotic-resistant germs because neither doctors nor farmers
+would distribute antibiotics like candy. Instead, billions would be
+invested in research on how to keep animals healthy without
+antibiotics, and doctors would receive training from independent,
+publicly funded institutions, while drug development would be more
+socially financed rather than by companies that need to sell in the
+largest possible quantities at the highest possible price. The money
+is there; it is just used differently.

-We see how much money is available in every war, where billions are burned without hesitation. For the cost of just four hours of the Iraq war, we could launch a research satellite into space \[fn:4hours]. NASA's entire budget is only 5% of the U.S. military budget.
+We see how much money is available in every war, where billions are
+burned without hesitation. For the cost of just four hours of the Iraq
+war, we could launch a research satellite into space \[fn:4hours].
+NASA's entire budget is only 5% of the U.S. military budget.

-Or, closer to home, we see it in the massive financing of smartphone development. As a society, we choose to invest enormous amounts in computing development—because most people constantly buy new phones, leading software to be developed mainly for the latest devices rather than for all devices sold in the last ten years.
+Or, closer to home, we see it in the massive financing of smartphone
+development. As a society, we choose to invest enormous amounts in
+computing development—because most people constantly buy new phones,
+leading software to be developed mainly for the latest devices rather
+than for all devices sold in the last ten years.

-And smartphones instead of health is not the only example. If the energy transition were important to us, we would have stopped burning coal, oil, and gas ten years ago. We would have invested hundreds of billions in research and would be much further ahead than we are today. We saw during the banking bailout that the money for this exists. If combating extremism and terrorism were important to us, then no child in the world would go hungry—not even in Germany. That money exists too. It is just used differently.
-
-But none of this is happening. Because today's real problems are not technical but social in nature.
+And smartphones instead of health is not the only example. If the
+energy transition were important to us, we would have stopped burning
+coal, oil, and gas ten years ago. We would have invested hundreds of
+billions in research and would be much further ahead than we are
+today. We saw during the banking bailout that the money for this
+exists. If combating extremism and terrorism were important to us,
+then no child in the world would go hungry—not even in Germany. That
+money exists too. It is just used differently.

-How do we decide as a society where we want to go together? How do we know what is true, and how do we know what is important? How do we decide what we ourselves consider to be reality? And whom do we believe and trust?
+But none of this is happening. Because today's real problems are not
+technical but social in nature.

-These are the truly difficult questions of our time—and they have been important questions ever since humanity no longer had to fight for survival every single day.
+How do we decide as a society where we want to go together? How do we
+know what is true, and how do we know what is important? How do we
+decide what we ourselves consider to be reality? And whom do we
+believe and trust?
+
+These are the truly difficult questions of our time—and they have been
+important questions ever since humanity no longer had to fight for
+survival every single day.


 * Technology:
 :PROPERTIES:
 :CUSTOM_ID: technology
 :END:
-That does not mean that technology is unimportant. This is particularly evident in advancements in agriculture and medicine. Thanks to plows, vaccinations, and antibiotics, fewer people were needed to secure a community’s basic needs, freeing up workforce for education and research. And when guns and long spears were developed, nations no longer needed a lifelong-trained knight caste to protect themselves from neighbors. The invention of the printing press facilitated the spread of ideas beyond church structures.
-
-Technology shifts the framework of our decision-making. It changes how large certain groups must be to dominate societal discourse. If there are enough autonomous combat drones to control a country and a small group of people has control over them, then others in society no longer have much say, making their discourse irrelevant. The same applies when self-proclaimed religious warriors roam with weapons.
+That does not mean that technology is unimportant. This is
+particularly evident in advancements in agriculture and medicine.
+Thanks to plows, vaccinations, and antibiotics, fewer people were
+needed to secure a community’s basic needs, freeing up workforce for
+education and research. And when guns and long spears were developed,
+nations no longer needed a lifelong-trained knight caste to protect
+themselves from neighbors. The invention of the printing press
+facilitated the spread of ideas beyond church structures.

-Technology can increase or decrease the number of people who must collaborate to control society, just as the internet initially expanded this number before shrinking it again due to the dominance of public perception and personal communication by a few corporations \[fn
-:informationpower].
+Technology shifts the framework of our decision-making. It changes how
+large certain groups must be to dominate societal discourse. If there
+are enough autonomous combat drones to control a country and a small
+group of people has control over them, then others in society no
+longer have much say, making their discourse irrelevant. The same
+applies when self-proclaimed religious warriors roam with weapons.

-And due to climate change, we may push ourselves as a species so far out of our comfort zone that technology becomes a real challenge again—so that we do not know whether we, as individuals, as a society, and as a species, can survive in the long run.
+Technology can increase or decrease the number of people who must
+collaborate to control society, just as the internet initially
+expanded this number before shrinking it again due to the dominance of
+public perception and personal communication by a few corporations
+\[fn :informationpower].
+
+And due to climate change, we may push ourselves as a species so far
+out of our comfort zone that technology becomes a real challenge
+again—so that we do not know whether we, as individuals, as a society,
+and as a species, can survive in the long run.

 * Society:
 :PROPERTIES:
 :CUSTOM_ID: society
 :END:
-However, the decision of which technology we use and which we allow or limit—or develop only defensively—is a social decision. While our understanding of technology improves and the number of natural scientists continues to rise, the social sciences stagnate: disciplines like psychology, sociology, and political science that explore how we make decisions in groups and how we can make better decisions. Despite the fact that technology—through Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and extensive communication analysis—has opened gold mines for social sciences, they receive little support. And that is a problem.
-
-And unfortunately, this too is a social issue. As a society, we must recognize that the key to solving the major problems of our time lies in the social sciences. More precisely, in social sciences that serve the common good and help everyone understand how people can make meaningful decisions in groups—especially when different interests are at odds.
+However, the decision of which technology we use and which we allow or
+limit—or develop only defensively—is a social decision. While our
+understanding of technology improves and the number of natural
+scientists continues to rise, the social sciences stagnate:
+disciplines like psychology, sociology, and political science that
+explore how we make decisions in groups and how we can make better
+decisions. Despite the fact that technology—through Facebook, YouTube,
+Twitter, and extensive communication analysis—has opened gold mines
+for social sciences, they receive little support. And that is a
+problem.

-These sciences must seek out (and communicate) ways to organize society so that more people can see which measures truly align with their interests and what other interests exist. This would ensure that politics acts more in the interest of the people it represents.
+And unfortunately, this too is a social issue. As a society, we must
+recognize that the key to solving the major problems of our time lies
+in the social sciences. More precisely, in social sciences that serve
+the common good and help everyone understand how people can make
+meaningful decisions in groups—especially when different interests are
+at odds.

-Additionally, they should help societies assess the consequences of their collective decisions—to understand what freedoms they truly have and which choices would have side effects that we would consider worse than their immediate benefits.
+These sciences must seek out (and communicate) ways to organize
+society so that more people can see which measures truly align with
+their interests and what other interests exist. This would ensure that
+politics acts more in the interest of the people it represents.
+
+Additionally, they should help societies assess the consequences of
+their collective decisions—to understand what freedoms they truly have
+and which choices would have side effects that we would consider worse
+than their immediate benefits.


 * Enlightenment:
 :PROPERTIES:
 :CUSTOM_ID: enlightenment
 :END:
-This means we need the next step of enlightenment: the path of human society out of self-imposed immaturity. If we all understand who and what influences our decisions, we can also decide for ourselves to whom we grant this influence. And that will be uncomfortable because, just like during individual enlightenment, immaturity is pleasant as long as we ignore its consequences. But as in individual enlightenment, the gain from responsibility and self-determination is far greater than the inconvenience of having to acknowledge reality.
+This means we need the next step of enlightenment: the path of human
+society out of self-imposed immaturity. If we all understand who and
+what influences our decisions, we can also decide for ourselves to
+whom we grant this influence. And that will be uncomfortable because,
+just like during individual enlightenment, immaturity is pleasant as
+long as we ignore its consequences. But as in individual
+enlightenment, the gain from responsibility and self-determination is
+far greater than the inconvenience of having to acknowledge reality.

-This step requires you—the one reading this text. Because while we can only take many of the important steps in a community, enlightenment always begins with individuals.
+This step requires you—the one reading this text. Because while we can
+only take many of the important steps in a community, enlightenment
+always begins with individuals.

 It begins with questions:

   #+begin_kasten
 - Which sources of information do I trust?
-- How do the things I focus my attention on change me? \[fn:experience]
+- How do the things I focus my attention on change me?
+  \[fn:experience]
 - Who do I want to work with?
 - With whom do I discuss news? Do we question the sources?
 - Where can I discuss news confidentially?
@@ -89,28 +172,47 @@ It begins with questions:
 - How can we sustain it?
 - What do I want to change?
 - What do I want to preserve?
-- How does my elected representative inform me about what they have achieved for me thanks to my vote?
-- How do I ensure that those representing me understand what matters to me?
+- How does my elected representative inform me about what they have
+  achieved for me thanks to my vote?
+- How do I ensure that those representing me understand what matters
+  to me?
 - To whom have I entrusted the task of representing my interests?
 - What gives me the courage to take action?
   #+end_kasten

-And after the questions: Please pass this text on to those who might be interested, in a way that shows them you have truly considered it. This way, it contributes to societal (self-)enlightenment.
+And after the questions: Please pass this text on to those who might
+be interested, in a way that shows them you have truly considered it.
+This way, it contributes to societal (self-)enlightenment.

 #+latex: \footnotesize 

 Link to share:\\
 [[https://www.draketo.de/politik/herausforderungen-technisch-sozial][https://www.draketo.de/politik/herausforderungen-technisch-sozial]]

-**"What does it cost to launch a satellite? 4 hours in Iraq."** — Dr. David Crisp, OCO-2 Science Team Leader, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA
-
-The internet initially increased the number of people required to control society, [because we could all publish](http://www.draketo.de/licht/politik/das-internet-durchbricht-die-strukturelle-informationshoheit). Today, it is reducing that number, as it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish who is actually reliable—or even whether we are interacting with a real person or a paid propagandist.
+**"What does it cost to launch a satellite? 4 hours in Iraq."** — Dr.
+David Crisp, OCO-2 Science Team Leader, Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
+NASA

-How can we sustain our communities despite opposition from those who seek to prevent group formation? How do we resist [power concentration, surveillance, and fragmentation](http://www.draketo.de/licht/politik/machtkonzentration-ueberwachung-zersplitterung)?
+The internet initially increased the number of people required to
+control society, [because we could all
+publish](http://www.draketo.de/licht/politik/das-internet-durchbricht-die-strukturelle-informationshoheit).
+Today, it is reducing that number, as it becomes increasingly
+difficult to distinguish who is actually reliable—or even whether we
+are interacting with a real person or a paid propagandist.

-How paying attention to certain things changes us is described, for example, by cycling journalist Kate Wagner in her report on [how she was once invited to Formula 1](https://web.archive.org/web/20240301170542/https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a46975496/behind-f1-velvet-curtain/):
+How can we sustain our communities despite opposition from those who
+seek to prevent group formation? How do we resist [power
+concentration, surveillance, and
+fragmentation](http://www.draketo.de/licht/politik/machtkonzentration-ueberwachung-zersplitterung)?
+
+How paying attention to certain things changes us is described, for
+example, by cycling journalist Kate Wagner in her report on [how she
+was once invited to Formula
+1](https://web.archive.org/web/20240301170542/https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a46975496/behind-f1-velvet-curtain/):

 #+begin_quote
-“I experienced firsthand the intended effect of allowing riffraff like me, those who distinguish themselves by way of words alone, to mingle with the giants of capitalism and their cultural attachés.”
+“I experienced firsthand the intended effect of allowing riffraff like
+me, those who distinguish themselves by way of words alone, to mingle
+with the giants of capitalism and their cultural attachés.”
 #+end_quote

@@ -29,10 +29,10 @@ solved* if we, as a society, decide to t
 problems, however, are not technical. They lie in the decision of
 *what is truly important to us*.

-* What is important to us:
-:PROPERTIES:
-:CUSTOM_ID: important
-:END:
+* What is important to us
+  :PROPERTIES:
+  :CUSTOM_ID: important
+  :END:

 If health were truly important to us as a society, then there would be
 no antibiotic-resistant germs because neither doctors nor farmers
@@ -77,10 +77,10 @@ important questions ever since humanity 
 survival every single day.


-* Technology:
-:PROPERTIES:
-:CUSTOM_ID: technology
-:END:
+* Technology
+  :PROPERTIES:
+  :CUSTOM_ID: technology
+  :END:

 That does not mean that technology is unimportant. This is
 particularly evident in advancements in agriculture and medicine.
@@ -109,10 +109,10 @@ out of our comfort zone that technology 
 again—so that we do not know whether we, as individuals, as a society,
 and as a species, can survive in the long run.

-* Society:
-:PROPERTIES:
-:CUSTOM_ID: society
-:END:
+* Society
+  :PROPERTIES:
+  :CUSTOM_ID: society
+  :END:

 However, the decision of which technology we use and which we allow or
 limit—or develop only defensively—is a social decision. While our
@@ -143,10 +143,10 @@ and which choices would have side effect
 than their immediate benefits.


-* Enlightenment:
-:PROPERTIES:
-:CUSTOM_ID: enlightenment
-:END:
+* Enlightenment
+  :PROPERTIES:
+  :CUSTOM_ID: enlightenment
+  :END:

 This means we need the next step of enlightenment: the path of human
 society out of self-imposed immaturity. If we all understand who and

@@ -193,9 +193,10 @@ This way, it contributes to societal (se
 Link to share:\\
 [[https://www.draketo.de/politik/herausforderungen-technisch-sozial][https://www.draketo.de/politik/herausforderungen-technisch-sozial]]

-**"What does it cost to launch a satellite? 4 hours in Iraq."** — Dr.
-David Crisp, OCO-2 Science Team Leader, Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
-NASA
+[fn:4hours] @@html:<a name="fn:4hours"></a>@@»What does it cost to launch a satellite? 4 hours in Iraq.«\\
+       --- Dr. David Crisp, OCO-2 Science Team Leader, Jet Propulsion
+       Laboratory, NASA
+       ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJJZol2o1ug][2015-09]], [[http://www.draketo.de/zitate#4hoursinirak][Zitate]]).

 The internet initially increased the number of people required to
 control society, [because we could all

@@ -198,22 +198,20 @@ Link to share:\\
        Laboratory, NASA
        ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJJZol2o1ug][2015-09]], [[http://www.draketo.de/zitate#4hoursinirak][Zitate]]).

-The internet initially increased the number of people required to
-control society, [because we could all
-publish](http://www.draketo.de/licht/politik/das-internet-durchbricht-die-strukturelle-informationshoheit).
-Today, it is reducing that number, as it becomes increasingly
-difficult to distinguish who is actually reliable—or even whether we
-are interacting with a real person or a paid propagandist.
+[fn:informationcontrol] @@html:<a name="fn:informationcontrol"></a>@@The internet initially increased the number of people required to
+       control society, [[http://www.draketo.de/licht/politik/das-internet-durchbricht-die-strukturelle-informationshoheit][because we could all publish]].
+       Today, it is reducing that number, as it becomes increasingly
+       difficult to distinguish who is actually reliable—or even whether we
+       are interacting with a real person or a paid propagandist.

-How can we sustain our communities despite opposition from those who
-seek to prevent group formation? How do we resist [power
-concentration, surveillance, and
-fragmentation](http://www.draketo.de/licht/politik/machtkonzentration-ueberwachung-zersplitterung)?
+[fn:verstetigen] @@html:<a name="fn:verstetigen"></a>@@How can we
+       sustain our communities despite opposition from those who seek
+       to prevent group formation? How do we resist [[http://www.draketo.de/licht/politik/machtkonzentration-ueberwachung-zersplitterung][power concentration, surveillance, and fragmentation?]]
+       (German article)

-How paying attention to certain things changes us is described, for
-example, by cycling journalist Kate Wagner in her report on [how she
-was once invited to Formula
-1](https://web.archive.org/web/20240301170542/https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a46975496/behind-f1-velvet-curtain/):
+[fn:experience] @@html:<a name="fn:experience"></a>@@ How paying
+       attention to certain things changes us is described, for
+       example, by cycling journalist Kate Wagner in her report on [[https://web.archive.org/web/20240301170542/https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a46975496/behind-f1-velvet-curtain/][how she was once invited to a Formula 1 race]]:\\

 #+begin_quote
 “I experienced firsthand the intended effect of allowing riffraff like

@@ -212,10 +212,8 @@ Link to share:\\
 [fn:experience] @@html:<a name="fn:experience"></a>@@ How paying
        attention to certain things changes us is described, for
        example, by cycling journalist Kate Wagner in her report on [[https://web.archive.org/web/20240301170542/https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a46975496/behind-f1-velvet-curtain/][how she was once invited to a Formula 1 race]]:\\
+       “I experienced firsthand the intended effect of allowing
+       riffraff like me, those who distinguish themselves by way of
+       words alone, to mingle with the giants of capitalism and their
+       cultural attachés.”

-#+begin_quote
-“I experienced firsthand the intended effect of allowing riffraff like
-me, those who distinguish themselves by way of words alone, to mingle
-with the giants of capitalism and their cultural attachés.”
-#+end_quote
-

@@ -195,7 +195,10 @@ This way, it contributes to societal (se
 #+latex: \footnotesize 

 Link to share:\\
-[[https://www.draketo.de/politik/herausforderungen-technisch-sozial][https://www.draketo.de/politik/herausforderungen-technisch-sozial]]
+[[https://www.draketo.de/politik/challenges-technical-social]]
+
+Call for a new step in enlightenment:\\
+[[https://www.draketo.de/politik/challenges-technical-social#enlightenment]]

 [fn:4hours] @@html:<a name="fn:4hours"></a>@@»What does it cost to launch a satellite? 4 hours in Iraq.«\\
        --- Dr. David Crisp, OCO-2 Science Team Leader, Jet Propulsion

@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ Link to share:\\
        ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJJZol2o1ug][2015-09]], [[http://www.draketo.de/zitate#4hoursinirak][Zitate]]).

 [fn:informationcontrol] @@html:<a name="fn:informationcontrol"></a>@@The internet initially increased the number of people required to
-       control society, [[http://www.draketo.de/licht/politik/das-internet-durchbricht-die-strukturelle-informationshoheit][because we could all publish]].
+       control society, [[http://www.draketo.de/licht/politik/das-internet-durchbricht-die-strukturelle-informationshoheit][because we could all publish]] (German article).
        Today, it is reducing that number, as it becomes increasingly
        difficult to distinguish who is actually reliable—or even whether we
        are interacting with a real person or a paid propagandist.
@@ -242,4 +242,3 @@ Link to share:\\
 # override template options:
 #+options: toc:nil H:1 num:nil ^:nil
 #+latex_class_options: [a5paper]
-

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #+INCLUDE: ../org-templates/level-1.org
 #+title: The Challenges of Our Time Are Not Technical but Social in Nature
-#+date: <2017-01-01 Sun>
+#+date: <2025-03-21 Fr>
 #+LANGUAGE: en

 #+begin_quote

@@ -9,14 +9,10 @@

 #+begin_export html
 <div class="sourcebox" style="text-align: center">
-<a href="herausforderungen-technisch-sozial.pdf">
+<a href="challenges-technical-social.pdf">
 <img style="margin-bottom: 0em;" title="PDF" src="https://www.draketo.de/files/2016-11-24-Do-herausforderungen-nicht-technisch-sondern-sozial-thumb.png" />
 </a><br />
-<a href="herausforderungen-technisch-sozial.pdf">PDF</a> (print)
-<div style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0.5em;">
-<audio style="width: 70px;" src="https://www.draketo.de/files/Die_Herausforderungen_unserer_Zeit_sind_nicht_technischer_sondern_sozialer_Natur--text_Arne_Babenhauserheide--gesprochen-Tallur--lizenz-cc_by_sa_0.mp3" controls="controls"></audio><br />
-<a href="https://www.draketo.de/files/Die_Herausforderungen_unserer_Zeit_sind_nicht_technischer_sondern_sozialer_Natur--text_Arne_Babenhauserheide--gesprochen-Tallur--lizenz-cc_by_sa_0.mp3">Spoken by Tallur</a>
-</div>
+<a href="challenges-technical-social.pdf">PDF</a> (print)
 </div>
 #+end_export

@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ This step needs you—the one reading this text. Because while we
 can only take many of the important steps in a community,
 enlightenment always begins with individuals.

-It begins with questions:
+It starts with questions:@@html:<a name="fragen" id="questions"></a>@@

   #+begin_kasten
 - Which sources of information do I trust?

@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@ solved* if we, as a society, decide to t
 problems, however, are not technical. They lie in the decision of
 *what is truly important to us*.

+/Translated article. German original: [[https://www.draketo.de/politik/herausforderungen-technisch-sozial.html][Die Herausforderungen unserer Zeit sind nicht technischer, sondern sozialer Natur]]/
+
+/This translation was started with an AI model to test its quality and then revised again and again over at least two hours to fix errors which distorted even the core message./
+
 * What is important to us
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: important

@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ U.S. pay for spaceflight.

 Or, closer to home, we see it in the massive financing of smartphone
 development. As a society, we choose to invest enormous amounts in
-computing development—because most people constantly buy new
+computing development---because most people constantly buy new
 phones, leading to software developed mainly for the latest
 devices rather than for all devices sold in the last ten years.

@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ hundreds of billions in research and wou
 ahead 10 years ago than we are today. We saw during the banking
 bailout that the needed money exists. If combating extremism and
 terrorism were important to us, then no child in the world would go
-hungry—also not in Germany or the U.S.. The money for that
+hungry---also not in Germany or the U.S.. The money for that
 exists, too. It is just used differently.

 But none of this happens. Because today's real problems are not
@@ -112,12 +112,12 @@ force everyone to obey.
 Technology can increase or decrease the number of people who must
 collaborate to control society. For example the internet initially
 expanded this number before shrinking it again due to the dominance
-over public perception and personal communication by a few corporations
-\[fn :informationpower].
+over public perception and personal communication by a few
+corporations[fn:informationcontrol].

 And due to climate change, we may push ourselves as a species so far
 out of our comfort zone that technology becomes the real challenge
-again—so that we do not know whether we, as individuals, as a
+again---so that we do not know whether we, as individuals, as a
 society, and as a species, can survive in the long run.

 * Society
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ society, and as a species, can survive i
   :END:

 However, the decision which technology we use and which we allow or
-limit—or develop only defensively—is a social decision. While our
+limit---or develop only defensively---is a social decision. While our
 understanding of technology improves and the number of
 scientists in natural sciences continues to rise, the social sciences stagnate:
 disciplines like psychology, sociology, and political science that
@@ -140,13 +140,13 @@ And unfortunately, this, too, is social.
 that the key to solving the major problems of our time lies in the
 social sciences. More precisely, in social sciences that serve society
 and the common good and everyone by helping to understand how people can
-make meaningful decisions in groups—also and especially when
+make meaningful decisions in groups---also and especially when
 different interests are at odds. Sciences that search for (and
 communicate) ways to organize society such that more people can see
 which measures truly align with their interests and which other
 interests exist. How to make political structures act more in the interest of the
 people they represent. And how to assess the consequences of their
-collective decisions—to understand what freedoms they really have
+collective decisions---to understand what freedoms they really have
 and which choices would have side effects they would consider worse
 than their immediate benefits.

@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ in individual enlightenment, the gain fr
 self-determination is far greater than the inconvenience of having
 to acknowledge reality.

-This step needs you—the one reading this text. Because while we
+This step needs you---the one reading this text. Because while we
 can only take many of the important steps in a community,
 enlightenment always begins with individuals.

@@ -173,15 +173,14 @@ It starts with questions:@@html:<a name=

   #+begin_kasten
 - Which sources of information do I trust?
-- How do the things I focus my attention on change me?
-  \[fn:experience]
+- How do the things I focus my attention on change me?[fn:experience]
 - Who do I want to work with?
 - With whom do I discuss news? Do we question the sources?
 - Where can I discuss news confidentially?
 - With whom do I want to create change?
 - With whom do I want to spend my free time?
 - Which groups can bring forth a larger movement?
-- How can we sustain it?
+- How can we sustain it?[fn:verstetigen]
 - What do I want to change?
 - What do I want to preserve?
 - How does my elected representative inform me about what they have achieved with my vote?
@@ -195,7 +194,7 @@ be interested, in a way and with a note 
 truly considered it. This way, it contributes to societal
 (self-)enlightenment.

-#+latex: \footnotesize 
+  #+latex: \footnotesize

 Link to share:\\
 [[https://www.draketo.de/politik/challenges-technical-social]]

@@ -217,3 +217,29 @@ Link to share:\\
        words alone, to mingle with the giants of capitalism and their
        cultural attachés.”

+
+#+latex_header: \usepackage{tocloft}
+#+latex_header: \newcommand{\listlinksname}{List of Links}
+#+latex_header: \newlistof{links}{lnks}{\listlinksname}
+#+latex_header: \let\oldhref\href
+#+latex_header: \renewcommand{\href}[2]{\oldhref{#1}{#2}\addcontentsline{lnks}{figure}{#2: \url{#1}}}
+#+latex_header: \usepackage{xurl}\urlstyle{same}\renewcommand\cftsecaftersnum{\newline}
+#+latex: \listoflinks
+
+
+
+# #+toc: headlines 2
+
+
+#+setupfile: ../org-templates/level-1-politik.org
+# Local Variables:
+# org-confirm-babel-evaluate: nil
+# org-export-default-language: de
+# org-babel-noweb-wrap-start: "{{{"
+# org-babel-noweb-wrap-end: "}}}"
+# org-latex-images-centered: nil
+# End:
+# override template options:
+#+options: toc:nil H:1 num:nil ^:nil
+#+latex_class_options: [a5paper]
+

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 </div>
 #+end_export

-I read a lot about new technologies regarding health, the energy
+I read a lot about new technologies. Technologies for health, the energy
 transition, the future of mobility, or mobile phones. And for many
 engineers, legal or societal issues are "non-problems." I used to see
 it that way myself. But when I look at the world, it is actually the

@@ -137,15 +137,12 @@ recognize that the key to solving the ma
 in the social sciences. More precisely, in social sciences that serve
 the common good and help everyone understand how people can make
 meaningful decisions in groups—especially when different interests are
-at odds.
-
-These sciences must seek out (and communicate) ways to organize
-society so that more people can see which measures truly align with
-their interests and what other interests exist. This would ensure that
-politics acts more in the interest of the people it represents.
-
-Additionally, they should help societies assess the consequences of
-their collective decisions—to understand what freedoms they truly have
-and which choices would have side effects that we would consider worse
-than their immediate benefits.
+at odds. These sciences must seek out (and communicate) ways to
+organize society so that more people can see which measures truly
+align with their interests and what other interests exist. This would
+ensure that politics acts more in the interest of the people it
+represents. Additionally, they should help societies assess the
+consequences of their collective decisions—to understand what freedoms
+they truly have and which choices would have side effects that we
+would consider worse than their immediate benefits.

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ transition, the future of mobility, or m
 engineers, legal or societal issues are "non-problems." I used to see
 it that way myself. But when I look at the world, it is actually the
 opposite: *Every technical challenge* we currently face *can be
-solved* if we, as a society, decide to tackle it together. The real
+solved* if we, as a society, decide to take it on together. The real
 problems, however, are not technical. They lie in deciding
 *what matters most to us*. Which challenges we *want* to solve.

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ it that way myself. But when I look at t
 opposite: *Every technical challenge* we currently face *can be
 solved* if we, as a society, decide to tackle it together. The real
 problems, however, are not technical. They lie in deciding
-*what matters most to us*.
+*what matters most to us*. Which challenges we *want* to solve.

 /Translated article. German original: [[https://www.draketo.de/politik/herausforderungen-technisch-sozial.html][Die Herausforderungen unserer Zeit sind nicht technischer, sondern sozialer Natur]]/

@@ -47,8 +47,9 @@ The money is there; it is just used diff
 We see how much money is available in every war, where billions are
 burned without hesitation. For the cost of just four hours of the
 Iraq war, we can launch a research satellite into
-space\[fn:4hours]. NASA's entire budget is only 5% of the U.S.
-military budget.
+space[fn:4hours]. NASA's entire budget is only 5% of the U.S.
+military budget. China now pays far more for the military than the
+U.S. pay for spaceflight.

 Or, closer to home, we see it in the massive financing of smartphone
 development. As a society, we choose to invest enormous amounts in
@@ -109,7 +110,7 @@ The same applies when armed, self-procla
 force everyone to obey.

 Technology can increase or decrease the number of people who must
-collaborate to control society, just as the internet initially
+collaborate to control society. For example the internet initially
 expanded this number before shrinking it again due to the dominance
 over public perception and personal communication by a few corporations
 \[fn :informationpower].
@@ -130,10 +131,10 @@ understanding of technology improves and
 scientists in natural sciences continues to rise, the social sciences stagnate:
 disciplines like psychology, sociology, and political science that
 explore how we make decisions in groups and how we can make better
-decisions. Despite the fact that technology—through Facebook, YouTube,
-Twitter, and extensive communication analysis—has opened gold mines
-for social sciences, they receive little support. And that is a
-problem.
+decisions. Despite the fact that technology---through Facebook,
+YouTube, Mastodon, and extensive communication analysis---has
+opened gold mines for social sciences, they receive little support.
+And that is a problem.

 And unfortunately, this, too, is social. As a society, we must recognize
 that the key to solving the major problems of our time lies in the

@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@ engineers, legal or societal issues are 
 it that way myself. But when I look at the world, it is actually the
 opposite: *Every technical challenge* we currently face *can be
 solved* if we, as a society, decide to tackle it together. The real
-problems, however, are not technical. They lie in the decision of
-*what is truly important to us*.
+problems, however, are not technical. They lie in deciding
+*what matters most to us*.

 /Translated article. German original: [[https://www.draketo.de/politik/herausforderungen-technisch-sozial.html][Die Herausforderungen unserer Zeit sind nicht technischer, sondern sozialer Natur]]/

@@ -47,11 +47,12 @@
 We see how much money is available in every war, where billions are
-burned without hesitation. For the cost of just four hours of the Iraq
-war, we could launch a research satellite into space \[fn:4hours].
-NASA's entire budget is only 5% of the U.S. military budget.
+burned without hesitation. For the cost of just four hours of the Iraq
+war, we can launch a research satellite into
+space\[fn:4hours]. NASA's entire budget is only 5% of the U.S.
+military budget.

 Or, closer to home, we see it in the massive financing of smartphone
 development. As a society, we choose to invest enormous amounts in
-computing development—because most people constantly buy new phones,
-leading software to be developed mainly for the latest devices rather
-than for all devices sold in the last ten years.
+computing development—because most people constantly buy new phones,
+leading to software developed mainly for the latest devices rather
+than for all devices sold in the last ten years.

@@ -67,4 +69,4 @@
-But none of this is happening. Because today's real problems are not
+But none of this happens. Because today's real problems are not
 technical but social in nature.


@@ -89,6 +91,6 @@ survival every single day.
   :CUSTOM_ID: technology
   :END:

-That does not mean that technology is unimportant. This is
-particularly evident in advancements in agriculture and medicine.
+That does not mean that technology is irrelevant. This is
+evident in advancements in agriculture and medicine.
 Thanks to plows, vaccinations, and antibiotics, fewer people were

@@ -124,7 +127,7 @@
-However, the decision of which technology we use and which we allow or
+However, the decision which technology we use and which we allow or
 limit—or develop only defensively—is a social decision. While our
-understanding of technology improves and the number of natural
-scientists continues to rise, the social sciences stagnate:
+understanding of technology improves and the number of
+scientists in natural sciences continues to rise, the social sciences stagnate:
 disciplines like psychology, sociology, and political science that
 explore how we make decisions in groups and how we can make better
 decisions. Despite the fact that technology—through Facebook, YouTube,

@@ -157,13 +159,14 @@
 what influences our decisions, we can also decide for ourselves to
-whom we grant this influence. And that will be uncomfortable because,
-just like during individual enlightenment, immaturity is pleasant as
-long as we ignore its consequences. But as in individual
-enlightenment, the gain from responsibility and self-determination is
-far greater than the inconvenience of having to acknowledge reality.
+whom we want to grant this power. And that will be uncomfortable
+because, just like during individual enlightenment, immaturity is
+pleasant as long as we blind ourselves to its consequences. But as
+in individual enlightenment, the gain from responsibility and
+self-determination is far greater than the inconvenience of having
+to acknowledge reality.

-This step requires you—the one reading this text. Because while we can
-only take many of the important steps in a community, enlightenment
-always begins with individuals.
+This step needs you—the one reading this text. Because while we
+can only take many of the important steps in a community,
+enlightenment always begins with individuals.

 It begins with questions:

@@ -58,9 +59,10 @@
 And smartphones instead of health is not the only example. If the
-energy transition were important to us, we would have stopped burning
-coal, oil, and gas ten years ago. We would have invested hundreds of
-billions in research and would be much further ahead than we are
-today. We saw during the banking bailout that the money for this
-exists. If combating extremism and terrorism were important to us,
-then no child in the world would go hungry—not even in Germany. That
-money exists too. It is just used differently.
+energy transition were important to us, we would have stopped
+burning coal, oil, and gas ten years ago. We would have invested
+hundreds of billions in research and would have been much further
+ahead 10 years ago than we are today. We saw during the banking
+bailout that the needed money exists. If combating extremism and
+terrorism were important to us, then no child in the world would go
+hungry—also not in Germany or the U.S.. The money for that
+exists, too. It is just used differently.

@@ -101,7 +103,8 @@
-Technology shifts the framework of our decision-making. It changes how
-large certain groups must be to dominate societal discourse. If there
-are enough autonomous combat drones to control a country and a small
-group of people has control over them, then others in society no
-longer have much say, making their discourse irrelevant. The same
-applies when self-proclaimed religious warriors roam with weapons.
+Technology shifts the boundaries of our decision-making. It changes
+how large certain groups must be to dominate societal discourse. If
+there are enough autonomous combat drones to control a country and a
+small group of people has control over them, then others in society
+can no longer make a difference, making their discourse irrelevant.
+The same applies when armed, self-proclaimed religious warriors
+force everyone to obey.

@@ -155,2 +157,2 @@
-This means we need the next step of enlightenment: the path of human
+This means we need a next step of enlightenment: the path of human
 society out of self-imposed immaturity. If we all understand who and

@@ -176,12 +179,12 @@ It begins with questions:
 - Where can I discuss news confidentially?
 - With whom do I want to create change?
 - With whom do I want to spend my free time?
-- From which groups can a larger movement emerge?
+- Which groups can bring forth a larger movement?
 - How can we sustain it?
 - What do I want to change?
 - What do I want to preserve?
-- How does my elected representative inform me about what they have achieved for me thanks to my vote?
-- How do I ensure that those representing me understand what matters to me?
-- To whom have I entrusted the task of representing my interests?
+- How does my elected representative inform me about what they have achieved with my vote?
+- How do I ensure that those representing me learn what matters to me?
+- To whom have I entrusted the task to champion my interests?
 - What gives me the courage to take action?
   #+end_kasten

@@ -189,6 +192,7 @@
 And after the questions: Please pass this text on to those who might
-be interested, in a way that shows them you have truly considered it.
-This way, it contributes to societal (self-)enlightenment.
+be interested, in a way and with a note that shows them you have
+truly considered it. This way, it contributes to societal
+(self-)enlightenment.

 #+latex: \footnotesize 

@@ -37,10 +37,10 @@ problems, however, are not technical. Th
 If health were truly important to us as a society, then there would be
 no antibiotic-resistant germs because neither doctors nor farmers
 would distribute antibiotics like candy. Instead, billions would be
-invested in research on how to keep animals healthy without
-antibiotics, and doctors would receive training from independent,
-publicly funded institutions, while drug development would be more
-socially financed rather than by companies that need to sell in the
-largest possible quantities at the highest possible price. The money
-is there; it is just used differently.
+invested in research on how to keep animals in a way that they don’t
+get sick in the first place, and doctors would receive training from
+independent, publicly funded institutions, while drug development
+would be more socially financed rather than by companies that need to
+sell in the largest possible quantities at the highest possible price.
+The money is there; it is just used differently.

@@ -80,8 +82,8 @@ decide what we ourselves consider to be 
 believe and trust?

 These are the truly difficult questions of our time—and they have been
-important questions ever since humanity no longer had to fight for
-survival every single day.
+the important questions ever since humanity no longer had to fight for
+survival as a species every day.


 * Technology

@@ -95,6 +97,6 @@
 needed to secure a community’s basic needs, freeing up workforce for
-education and research. And when guns and long spears were developed,
-nations no longer needed a lifelong-trained knight caste to protect
-themselves from neighbors. The invention of the printing press
-facilitated the spread of ideas beyond church structures.
+education and research. And when guns and long spears were
+developed, nations no longer needed a knight caste trained from childhood
+to protect themselves from neighbors. The invention of the printing
+press facilitated the spread of ideas outside church structures.

@@ -108,6 +111,6 @@
 Technology can increase or decrease the number of people who must
 collaborate to control society, just as the internet initially
-expanded this number before shrinking it again due to the dominance of public
-perception and personal communication by a few corporations
+expanded this number before shrinking it again due to the dominance over public
+perception and personal communication by a few corporations
 \[fn :informationpower].

@@ -114,10 +117,10 @@
 And due to climate change, we may push ourselves as a species so far
-out of our comfort zone that technology becomes a real challenge
-again—so that we do not know whether we, as individuals, as a society,
-and as a species, can survive in the long run.
+out of our comfort zone that technology becomes the real challenge
+again—so that we do not know whether we, as individuals, as a
+society, and as a species, can survive in the long run.

 * Society
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: society
   :END:

@@ -132,8 +135,8 @@ Twitter, and extensive communication analysis—has opened gold mines
 for social sciences, they receive little support. And that is a
 problem.

-And unfortunately, this too is a social issue. As a society, we must recognize
-that the key to solving the major problems of our time lies in the
-social sciences. More precisely, in social sciences that serve
-the common good and help everyone understand how people can make
-meaningful decisions in groups—especially when different interests are
+And unfortunately, this, too, is social. As a society, we must recognize
+that the key to solving the major problems of our time lies in the
+social sciences. More precisely, in social sciences that serve society and
+the common good and everyone by helping to understand how people can make
+meaningful decisions in groups—also and especially when different interests are

@@ -140,6 +143,6 @@
-at odds. These sciences must seek out (and communicate) ways to
-organize society so that more people can see which measures truly
-align with their interests and what other interests exist. This would
-ensure that politics acts more in the interest of the people it
-represents. Additionally, they should help societies assess the
-consequences of their collective decisions—to understand what freedoms
+at odds. Sciences that search for (and communicate) ways to
+organize society such that more people can see which measures truly
+align with their interests and which other interests exist. How to
+make political structures act more in the interest of the people they
+represent. And how to assess the
+ consequences of their collective decisions—to understand what freedoms

@@ -146,10 +149,10 @@


-they truly have and which choices would have side effects that we would
-consider worse than their immediate benefits.
+they really have and which choices would have side effects they would
+consider worse than their immediate benefits.

 * Enlightenment
   :PROPERTIES:
   :CUSTOM_ID: enlightenment
   :END: