‘Digitaal’ in die frase ‘om digitaal te wees’, is een van die treffrases van ons tyd, en bied ’n
waarborg vir ’n beter, meer lofwaardige toekoms. Die probleem is dat digitaliteit op berekening
gebaseer is. Baie mense wys daarop dat berekening alleen nie die toekoms kan skep of verseker
nie. Berekening is te beperk en het te veel grense om die toekoms te bepaal en op sigself kan dit
eerder bedreig. Die berekenbare word bowendien eintlik deur die onberekenbare bepaal. Vir ’n
realistiese toekomsverwagting, as wesenlike saak van menswees, is iets veel meer en heel
anders as blote berekening, komplementerend tot berekening nodig om die toekoms te verwag,
daaroor te droom en te fantaseer, verbeeldingsvlugte te onderneem en dit te inventeer. Die
ander kant van berekening, wat ook ’n menslike kapasiteit genoem kan word, is hier ter sprake.
Om meer spesifiek te wees: die geestelike vermoë, die noëtiese kapasiteit, gekoppel aan die
Griekse term nous is dit wat ’n mens, saam met kuber (berekening, digitaliteit) en kubernetika,
die toekoms moet indra. Waarborge vir die toekoms van die mensheid moet steeds in mense
self en in hulle kapasiteite gevind word. Dit kan kwalik iets anders wees as die betekenisvolle,
kragtige verbintenis wat uitgewerk moet word tussen die kuber en die nous; die kapasiteit van
berekening en die geesteskapasiteit van dromery en verbeelding. Die numeriese of digitale
verbeelding moet gekomplementeer word met ’n narratiewe of noëties noölogiese verbeelding.
Dit sou die enigste kapasiteite wees wat ons, in ons tyd van volslae ontwrigting, kan vrywaar
van noodlottige en katastrofale waansin en wat hoop en moed kan skep om ’n toekoms
sorgsaam te inventeer.
‘Digital’ in the phrase ‘being digital’
constitutes one of the core terms of our time and offers a guarantee for a better and a more
commendable future. The problem is that digitality is based on calculation. Many people
argue that calculation on its own can never either create or guarantee a future. Calculation is
too limited and has too many boundaries to determine the future and on its own, it can be a
threat. Above all, the calculable is as a matter of fact determined by the incalculable. For a
realistic expectation of the future, as an essential matter of being human, something more and
totally different from mere calculation, and complementary to calculation, is needed in order
to expect a future, to dream and fantasise about it, to imagine and invent it. The flip side of
calculation, which can equally be referred to as a human capacity, is the issue here. To be more
specific: the spiritual ability, the noetic capacity, linked to the Greek term nous is what, together
with cyber (calculation, digitality) and cybernetics, carry humans into the future. Guarantees
for the future of humankind are to be found in humans themselves and their capacities. This
can hardly be anything other than the meaningful, forceful connection that must be worked
out between the cyber and the nous, the capacity of calculation and the spiritual capacity of
dreamery and imagination. The numeric or digital imagination must be complemented by a
narrative or noetic noological imagination. These would be the only capacities that in our
times of complete devastation, can free us from fatal and catastrophic madness and can give us
hope and courage to invent a future in which care will be abundant.
