From coffee to… genetically altered food, history is littered with innovations that sparked resistance before becoming fixtures in everyday life…
…[H]umans often oppose new technologies… Calestous Juma, a professor [at] Harvard University… explores this phenomenon in his latest book, “Innovation and Its Enemies: Why People Resist New Technologies.”
Among Juma’s assertions is that people don’t fear innovation simply because the technology is new, but because innovation often means losing a piece of their identity or lifestyle… Innovations sat down with Juma to discuss his findings… What follows are … takeaways from that conversation.
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1) People sometimes oppose innovation even when it seems to be in their best interest.
The impetus for Juma’s book came in the late 1990s when… he oversaw international negotiations related to the regulation of genetically modified crops. Groups both for and against… genetically modified crops were vocal and dogged, even when Juma noticed they seemed to have a common goal… “…There are moments when new technologies that could be beneficial for humanity . . . very often end up being opposed by the same groups that might benefit… ,” [Juma said.]
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Humans once opposed coffee and refrigeration. Here’s why we often hate new stuff.
