The accelerating rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation is more than a technological shift — it is a civilizational paradigm shift without historical precedent. Much of today’s debate focuses on economics: which jobs will disappear, which new ones will emerge, and how productivity gains might be distributed. Yet the deeper story is sociological. AI does not merely change what we do for a living; it reimagines the very meaning of work, solidarity, and social identity. Obviously, work has always been more than survival; it has been the medium through which people find dignity and social belonging. To appreciate the…
Author: Dr. Faridul Alam
Dr. Faridul Alam
Dr. Faridul Alam, based in New York City, is a former faculty member at the City University of New York (CUNY). He can be reached at falam126@aol.com.
When the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, they embodied a rare global metanarrative, infused with the Enlightenment ambitions of reason, progress, and moral responsibility. Seventeen goals, 169 targets — poverty eradicated, inequality reduced, the planet saved — promised measurable solutions through collective effort. They offered not just technical benchmarks but a sweeping story of shared purpose, a belief that globalization could inspire cooperation across borders to deliver a fairer and more sustainable world. A decade later, that story has begun to fray. The return of Donald Trump to the White House in 2025 hastened the…