Greetings Leo KoGuan,
Your essay was a delight to read, and I think you are one of the best at articulating the future we would all like to have - of any of the essay authors. Xuan Yong's Da Tong is more than just a Chinese Dream; it is an enviable state of affairs for any society to achieve, and one to which all enlightened human beings aspire. The main deterrent is the prevailing influence of ignorance, which is causing governments and corporations to scale down their efforts and funding for research - as well as higher education - at a time when they are what is most needed to assure progress and boost the economy long-term. Short sighted leaders have made it difficult to realize the dream, and to actualize what Xuan Yong called Da Tong.
Perhaps we need Operating System 2.0 today! But are people ready for a scientific ethical and legal system? I have been working for a number of years now to create a framework for qualitative or subjective search engines and databases, and I've even included some of the fruits of my research in that area in my FQXi essays, so it will be clear to all that this model follows from my prior work. Personally; I'd rather work with R2-D2 and C3PO than work for a Terminator style robot, and this is a necessary step in that direction. However; if we did create this technology, and fed into the computer works of the great philosophers, religious texts, legal documents, and so on; it would calculate percentage truth-values for various assertions contained therein.
Of course; it will cause the worst scandal in history when people realize that a computer is being made the arbiter of their religion. This is why such things must be handled with some sensitivity. It is also why I think the proposal of Jens Niemeyer for a repository of knowledge is important to humanity's survival, and deserves the development and use of such technology. This goes way beyond the Dewey decimal system, and could be a way to achieve a scientific level of fair representation - which is a necessary step in your plan - but will ordinary humans be willing to set cherished beliefs aside, in order to realize a bright future instead of dystopia? I hope we can both help make things better.
All the Best,
Jonathan
