This blog post explores the impact of a closed environment on technology and society through ‘Le Papillon des étoiles’, examining the dangers of isolation from the outside world and the resulting limitations on progress.
‘Le Papillon des étoiles’ is the title of a novel by Bernard Werber. It is also the name of a spaceship carrying individuals with diverse talents, selected for their suitability, on a journey spanning generations to find another planet where humanity can settle anew. This book depicts humanity’s journey dreaming of a new beginning beyond Earth, deeply exploring human nature and the structure of society along the way. I was particularly drawn to the part where 144,000 humans live across generations within the confined space of a single spaceship, cut off from the outside world. This goes beyond mere space exploration, serving as a crucial element in exploring how humans evolve and transform within a closed society.
Animals on the Galapagos Islands exhibit distinct characteristics compared to their counterparts elsewhere, even if they belong to the same species. People in regions isolated from contact with other areas, like remote parts of Africa or the Amazon rainforest, have cultivated their own unique cultures. Such examples vividly demonstrate how powerful an impact environmental isolation can have on organisms or societies. I intend to focus on the negative aspects among the various characteristics imposed by a closed environment, arguing that such a social environment leads to the regression of technology or civilization. I also wish to compare this phenomenon with the case of Korea.
First, I believe a closed environment is prone to resource scarcity. Consequently, utilizing those resources becomes difficult, leading to the decline of related technologies. ‘Le Papillon des étoiles’ was designed with the understanding that it would take 1,000 years to reach a new planet suitable for human habitation. Inside the spacecraft, gravity is maintained, and a self-sustaining ecosystem is established with an artificial sun, lakes, and diverse flora and fauna. However, no matter how harmonious the environment, without change through external exchange, dependence on specific species arises. Should those organisms become extinct, the colony faces grave danger. For example, 19th-century Ireland relied heavily on potatoes for most of its food supply, and the potato varieties cultivated were largely uniform. When a disease infected these varieties, the resulting shortage of staple food led to the Great Famine, causing countless deaths from starvation.
As this example shows, when exchange is cut off, diversifying the varieties of various resources becomes difficult. Consequently, it can be surmised that the likelihood of certain resources becoming depleted increases. Furthermore, as resources become depleted, the related ecological balance is disrupted, raising concerns that this ripple effect could also accelerate the depletion of other resources. The book also shows that while the ecosystem was initially well-balanced, after several generations, various resources became depleted, forcing people to live in a state of deprivation in many ways. This resource depletion becomes a potential risk factor that goes beyond mere material problems, potentially leading to social conflict and threats to survival. By the end, just before reaching a new planet, only six people remained. Their staple diet consisted solely of berries, fruits, and luminous rabbits, relying on extremely limited resources. This is why I believe, from a resource perspective, a closed environment negatively impacts technology in the long term.
Second, I believe that a closed environment fosters a mannered way of thinking due to consistency, which hinders technological progress. When living in self-sufficient isolation from the outside world, people often develop their own unique culture shaped by their environment. This culture typically deeply reflects the local environmental factors and can be strictly controlled to ensure survival or maintain society depending on the situation. The problem is that this culture itself, lacking external exchange, struggles to undergo significant change. Consequently, members of such societies tend to think within its established framework. Furthermore, those who think differently are easily ostracized by the group, making technological advancement difficult. Fundamentally, technology develops through thinking and contemplation from diverse perspectives. Creativity or imagination forms the basis for technological progress, and what influences imagination is the unconscious and experience.
Humans begin thinking about the unseen based on experience and knowledge, making diverse knowledge and experience essential elements for technological advancement. In the book, the first passengers of ‘Le Papillon des étoiles’ were all born on Earth, so they knew diverse cultures and environments. However, subsequent generations born within ‘Le Papillon des étoiles’ have only experienced its internal environment, believing it to be the entirety of existence. They lack knowledge beyond their given environment; for instance, they imagine elephants based solely on descriptions of their immense size, having never seen one directly. Such an isolated environment, offering only consistent experiences to its inhabitants, inherently limits the generation of new ideas. Consequently, society can become trapped in a vicious cycle of fixed notions and closed-mindedness, unable to embrace novel concepts.
Thus far, we’ve examined the negative impact of closed environments on technological progress, specifically in terms of resource depletion and the limitations of thinking stemming from restricted experience. In truth, even if the book portrays an environment with seemingly everything, it remains a very small ecosystem with a population not exceeding 150,000. Therefore, the depiction of the decline of civilization and technology over time is likely exaggerated. And from the perspective of a globalizing world, this viewpoint might not seem particularly significant. However, as mentioned at the outset, there are still regions across the globe that remain isolated from the outside world, building their own environments. For these regions, the stark technological gap compared to modernized nations is obvious to anyone.
To facilitate exchanges between these regions and the outside world, it is first necessary to understand their unique ecosystems. Research from this perspective would also be highly beneficial. Furthermore, the long-term impact of such closed environments on society extends beyond mere issues of technology or resources; it can also become a matter of social integration and cultural diversity. Just as Galapagos Island species evolved according to their environment, closed societies develop their own unique characteristics. However, this carries the risk of missing out on greater change and development.
The negative effects of closed environments are a topic worth reconsidering in the case of Korea. At first glance, it’s easy to assume Korea already engages with many nations and participates well in globalization. However, considering that Korea is not yet unified, it is geographically very isolated and faces a reality of scarce resources. Korea’s high income level despite these resource disadvantages stems from its technological prowess. Building on a foundation of excellent talent, Korea has gained a competitive edge in products like semiconductors through technology, enabling it to survive in international competition. Since technological decline is deeply linked to economic crisis, Korea has no choice but to focus its efforts on technological advancement. However, the current situation is unfavorable: China’s Xiaomi is increasing its market share in smartphones, and Korea’s shipbuilding industry is in decline following the failure of its offshore plants.
There are growing concerns that Korea’s technological competitiveness is now visibly falling behind other nations. I believe this phenomenon can be linked to the nation’s cultural insularity. No matter how much we talk about globalization and the global era, Koreans still tend to focus primarily on their domestic position. Korea still lacks sufficient inclusivity toward multicultural societies and often clings to deep-rooted ethnic habits. Many people still suffer from xenophobia, and perhaps due to the influence of Confucian culture, they often appear passive rather than proactive. According to the WEF Tourism Competitiveness Index, Korea ranks 25th out of 140 countries, yet in the hospitality category—which includes attitudes toward foreign tourists—it ranks 129th, near the bottom. Another example is the embarrassing incident during former President Obama’s visit to Korea when Korean journalists were given the right to ask questions but none did, prompting a Chinese journalist to ask instead. This incident exemplifies Koreans’ lack of proactivity.
Despite living in an era of globalization, this persistent hesitation and reluctance in interacting with foreign countries proves that Korea has not yet fully escaped its closed environment. To overcome this situation, a more open and proactive attitude is necessary. This goes beyond mere economic or technological development; it will also play a crucial role in transforming the overall mindset of Korean society. Through this, Korea can achieve more diverse and creative development.
