Privileged

By Teboho Pitso

As we enter the era of human-like robots and human-machine collaborations made possible by advances in intelligent technologies and their shift from quiescent algorithms to heuristics, the true meaning of what makes us distinctly human can easily be blurred. In my recent research on human-machine collaborations, culture proved to be the most important factor that would allow us to remain distinctly human and constitutes our major contribution to these new ways of collaborating. However, culture is not neutral neither is it incontestable. It has been a major source of organising modern societies thus a war zone of ideologies, politics and religious zealotry given its embodiment of identities, histories, beliefs and past events of some significance to particular groupings. By its very nature, culture can feed narrowness or can lead to harmony and oneness of humans and nature when proper values are adopted. In this booklet, a culture that debunks hero-worshipping and emphasises equality of humans and living in harmony with nature, is advanced. It derives from ubuNtu. Ntu is that super-ancestor of Basotho and amaNguni whose name means oneness, equality and harmony.

About the Author

Teboho Pitso has studied creativity and innovation in his doctoral thesis read at the University of the Witwatersrand. He sits in various international committees that advance creativity and innovation in universities as well as publish widely in these areas. He has a keen interest in how people interact and collaborate to change and improve their material conditions which led his research to rhetorical theory. Rhetorical theory helps us understand how people communicate, what their intent is when communicating and how that affects human relations. In all of his research work, he argues against the use of persuasion in all forms of communication and advocates for dialogues based on equality and dignity for all. His basic thesis is that rare skills of a technical and technological nature inexorable in this century are insufficient to advance complex cosmopolitan societies in the absence of cultural equality, understanding and collective appreciation of all the cultures and their grand narratives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Teboho Pitso
• Release date: Aug 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005536749

Book preview

The search for human kindness

Privileged

Identity, History,

Culture and Heritage

in the Age of deep

learning

Teboho Pitso (PhD)

Copyright © 2020 Teboho Pitso (PhD)

Published by Teboho Pitso Publishing at Smashwords

First edition 2020

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder.

The Author has made every effort to trace and acknowledge sources/resources/individuals. In the event that any images/information have been incorrectly attributed or credited, the Author will be pleased to rectify these omissions at the earliest opportunity.

Published by Teboho Pitso (PhD) using Reach Publishers’ services,

P O Box 1384, Wandsbeck, South Africa, 3631

Edited by Gil Harper for Reach Publishers

Cover designed by Reach Publishers

Website: www.reachpublishers.org

E-mail: [e-mail]

Teboho Pitso (PhD)

[e-mail]

I must say, this is the most riveting edit I have done… If I were to explain this, I would probably write a booklet myself! Suffice to say, your readers will enjoy a journey of discovery, learning, and unlearning and learning, and be challenged on different levels, from intellectual to emotional.

Editor’s comment

The human crisis… is a crisis of values

Paul Santmire

The basic tenet of this booklet is that human kindness is based on restoring the fundamental human values of love, sharing and selflessness

One who sings grand narratives of others be they religious, political or ideological is already defeated and intellectually captured. Such a person participates actively in his/her own humiliation and once a grand narrative has reached that stage, it is at its most powerful. This ignominious stage of ultimate humiliation is achieved when the defeated and humiliated defend their own state of mental slavery in the absence of the slave masters.

Chapter 1

The brain is the greatest gift of all. It illuminates the beauty of our human existence. It is a place where cultures are born, where identities of souls emerge, where deep spiritual realities form, reform, transform and deform. Given its immense power to shape human destinies, it also becomes a cynosure and war zone of ferocious intellectual contestations…

Epitomes of UbuNtu/botho philosophy

My grandparents

Mohale George Pitso

Teboho Jacob Pitso

John Molefi & Matshidiso Maria Ramatsebe

Makwala Abel Qoba (aka Senokoane)

Andries & Mathapelo Mateba (aka Makhapa)

My former principals

Isaiah Makhale (primary school as a learner), Moroeng Nehemiah Mohau Mokone (secondary school as a learner), Stitch Mohlatsane (as a teacher) & Benjamin Nhlapo (as a teacher)

And Tebogo Makou, VUT Finance Department, for practising Ethics of Kindness in the Workplace

As well as a true friend and partner

Matshidiso Maria Qoba Mthimkhulu Pitso

With special tribute to

Dr. C.P.N. Mokhesi & Lerato Lorna Mokone, a Physiotherapist of note, for a selfless contribution to community development

Acknowledgements

While we have traversed complex rough patches, our destiny has always been intrinsically bound together even though sometimes we intentionally willed against it. Malefane Lebusa, a critical yet collegial companion in a long, arduous scholarly journey has always compelled us to search for our better selves though this mission sometimes landed us into unsavoury moments. We remained steadfast in our common desire to uplift our communities even when it meant swimming against the tide of established cultures.

Along the way and out of the blue, a thunderous presence made its way into our consciousness and helped steady our scholarly ship in the tumultuous and unpredictable oceans of uncertainty. Remaketse Makateng, a research mentee, helped steady the ship.

Table of Contents

Epitomes of UbuNtu/botho philosophy

Acknowledgements

Read this First

1. Introduction

2. Purview of the Ntu philosophy

3. The Nature of Reality in the Ntu Worldview

4. Early Years

5. Mthimkhulu iSithakazelo and Key Historical Epochs

6. Reframing Our Societies

Epilogue

Further Reading

Read this First

Around 1968 as I was coming into awareness of my subjugated existence in rural South Africa, I met my paternal grandfather, Mohale George Pitso, who came to visit us. During our brief encounter, he emphasised that I was Mthimkhulu, Bhungane and I should never forget it. This was strange because our surname is Pitso and upon enquiring from my parents, his claim proved to be correct. My father was, however, unable to shed further light on this matter and light was what I needed.

This was to be my quest. The search for my true identity…

This booklet represents my endeavours to deal with this puzzle of my life. The quest continues and I welcome constructive criticism as well as enlightenment on inaccuracies or factual errors that might be encountered in this booklet. I also seek substantive contributions that will elevate the quality of the booklet and enrich our understanding. I commit to being responsive to such constructive criticism that contribute to the quality of debate in this booklet. I will, however, completely ignore those comments and reactions that have the sole purpose of undermining my core argument as well as attempts to silence my voice. The fundamental message that my grandfather shared with me was to learn to unlearn the status quo. He passed on when I was 12 years old so I was denied the opportunity to learn the important skill of dealing with those who direct their verbal vitriol towards a well-constructed argument. These kinds of people tend to use logical dodges and fallacious arguments as ad hominem attacks and cheap labels to defend the status quo, however spurious its case. Over my more than three decades in knowledge work, I have learned that those who benefit from the status quo will use all sorts of tricks to defend it, however implausible the merit. Attempt to read this booklet without prejudice. Try.

Chapter 1

Introduction

Through technological advances and capabilities of intelligent technologies, the human race is marching steadily into the super-smart society 5.0 which is estimated to reach its peak around 2045. Society 5.0 will experience increased ubiquity of human-like robots, making the question of what makes us distinctly human critical. These robots will assume our apparel and appearance, perform better than us in economic activity and possibly hold superior social skills than ours. Most of our human-based traditional work is already being usurped by automation and capabilities of these intelligent technologies. Synthetic intelligence embedded in these robots is increasingly superseding our human intelligence which poses questions around our role in this new reality. In my most recent study, I investigated the role of humans in value creation (productivity) in this society 5.0 that is increasingly being dominated by smart machines and humanoid robots.

The scholars of society 5.0 consider it to still be a human-based society that will increasingly leverage human ingenuity and capabilities of intelligent technologies in value co-creation and in developing unprecedented, far-superior human conveniences. Findings from my recent study confirm the view that humans will very much be central in this society albeit in different roles. The greatest beneficiaries of society 5.0 will still be humans so the roles of smart machines will be to enhance rather than vitiate our human lives. Another finding from my study is that human-machine interactions will increasingly become collaborative and complementary rather than competitive. Intelligent technologies have the capacity to analyse big swathes of data but require, at this stage, that these pieces of data be labelled in particular ways thus creating space for human involvement in data preparation and its conversion into value creation.

These intelligent technologies have not reached the acme of deep learning and thus will still require humans to help them perform tasks that demand deep learning. There is room for humans to supervise these intelligent technologies for now. However, we rarely teach deep learning in our homes, schools and importantly in our universities, especially at undergraduate level where a miasma of mimesis remains strong. In order to successfully supervise these intelligent technologies in big data analytics and other creative works, we need deep reasoning and sublime creative capabilities. This means that effective generation of unique ideas vital in value co-creation requires the collaboration of both humans and intelligent technologies. Yet, we rarely teach critical and creative thinking in our homes, schools and universities.

Intelligent technologies are also incapable of navigating real-life complexities so humans can still claim that aspect of societal and organisational culture as distinctly a human activity. However, entrenched societal and organisational cultures are not neutral but are products of a deeply distorted history as well as fierce battles on values. These cultures have been major forces of organising modern societies which have been shaped through war and violence. Culture is thus a highly contested and contestable issue mainly because it embodies identities, histories, values, beliefs and past events of some significance to particular groupings. This explains why culture becomes a war zone of ideologies, politics and religious zealotry. By its very nature, culture can thus serve narrowness or can lead to harmony and oneness of humans amongst themselves and with nature. The latter is possible when loving values of selflessness, sharing and caring are genuinely espoused.

Culture is defined sociologically as dominant values, beliefs, language systems, communication and practices people share as a collective. The global collective, however, is a complex conglomerate of multiple and discrete cultures that fall within any of the quadrants as illustrated in diagram 1.

Cultures exist in a vertical and horizontal continuum. The vertical continuum consists at one extreme of the continuum of flexibility and freedom attributes while at the other extreme rest stability and control. You could argue that both represent ideas around cultures that value certainty (stability and control) and those that leverage uncertainty (flexibility and freedom).

The horizontal continuum deals with forces of influence upon the cultures where one extreme has a strong internal focus and strives for an integrated pattern of evolution, keeping external influence to a minimum. At the other extreme of the horizontal continuum, external influence is appreciated and sought as differentiation is the main pattern of evolution. You could argue that this is about the search for uniformity (internal focus and integration) and variation (external