From Chapter 7: Invention Spurs Invention

Democratizing Innovations

Democracy is not a governmental philosophy handed down by beneficent rulers. Rulers have historically considered their legitimacy to come from a higher authority, while democratic governments derive their power "from the consent of the governed", as it was so elegantly stated in the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Such words would have been anathema to the autocrats, many of whom claimed their higher authority to be the gods. When the power of the Catholic Church in Europe broke the association of the rulers with heaven, the monarchs that followed had to rely mostly on force and control, although they attempted to enforce the "divine right of kings". They tried to control the information channels, and to limit the ability of people to organize opposition movements or to move out of their area of control. This was best accomplished by keeping people poor, limiting their physical and economic mobility, restricting their ability to organize, and enforcing their class identity, i.e., "keeping them in their place." Consent of the governed had no place in this type of societal structure, and democracy and the power to govern had to be wrested from the reluctant hands of the ruling classes or removed by stealth. Democratizing innovations are those that provide means to reduce the power of the rulers and empower the general populace.

There are four types of innovation that do this, and each one has elements of stealth, because the reasons why they are democratizing were not evident to the ruling classes when they were first developed. By the time their effects were obvious, the principles and benefits of democratic government were widely accepted, and were no longer easily controllable or reversible. The four classes of innovation are:

• Transportation
• Distribution of information
• Communication
• Entertainment

What these kinds of innovations do is to greatly increase the number of options available to people. They expand people's choices of where they can live, where they can work, whom they can work for, to whom they can talk and listen, and where they can spend their spare time. Modes of transportation enable people to visit other places, conduct business, and relocate. Widespread distribution channels give people the information they need to make informed choices in every aspect of life, i.e., politics, education, religion, employment, social, and leisure time. Rapid communications enable people to pack many more experiences into their lifetimes. Different kinds of entertainment add to our quality of life. All of these innovations empower people, and give them a sense of responsibility and self-importance. They enable people to organize and resist oppressive governments and institutions. They give people the message that they are important, and that their efforts can make a difference in the world. Innovators thrive in such an environment.