I. R. G. Solution

The IRG Solution – David Andrews, Souvenir Press, 1984 This book written in 1984 attempted an information based approach to analyzing why things often went wrong ( ie inadequate policy responses with counter productive unintended consequences) in centrally governed societies equipped with hierarchic bureaucratic organizations and what the book called “central media” – ie print, and broadcast media, and predicted that a general environmental / energy / pollution / food catastrophe would inevitably ensue from these features alone, unless the mechanisms at work were recognized and appropriate information based solutions devised (as defined in the book) and implemented.. Lateral Communication One of the central ideas in the book was that for millennia, all life had been organized and responded to itself, and environmental issues on a lateral communication basis – communication and signaling between individual cells, amoebae and species – all created a self sustaining, self regulating ecosystem. Examples cited included “primitive” cultures with no king or power structure, slime moulds which are communities of individual amoeba, but which can come together to form a single purposeful organism, a shoal of fish, a flock of birds, the human body,. all these indicated a high degree of organization and co-ordination without central control by lateral communication between the cells or individuals in the community. The book argued that environmental damage began to occur as soon as centralized control emerged, initially dynasties and monarchies using the tools of warfare, and then further centralization with the advent of the printing press. The book argued that only by using technology to develop mass lateral media - sending messages between individuals, could we hope to recognize and solve our problems. This would be widespread use of computers in individuals hands to mediate person to person communication on a mass scale, using modems and telephony – a pretty radical and unheard of idea at that time. Inherent problems of hierarchies and central media The book first described the claimed inherent deficiencies of hierarchies and central media and their inability to recognize and deal with complex issues. and secondly to suggest the urgent development of what the book termed called “lateral media” which he described in some detail and were what we would recognized today as “the internet”. The book proposed that we should develop a system where a pc in every home, woul

שנה

1984

שפה

English

הוצאה

Souvenir Press Ltd

מהדורות

1

עמודים

288

ISBN

9780285626621

מקור הנתונים: Wikidata