By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Alvin Toffler, one of the most famous futurists in the world, has advised South Korea to be creative in a bid to cope with changes taking place in various fields.
At a lecture at the National Assembly Friday, Toffler, 80, also stressed that different tools were necessary to solve pending issues, saying the current crisis is new compared to those of the past.
``I urge South Korea to make creative change in character and nature,'' he said, mentioning ``demassification,'' which he coined to describe the change of production patterns. A National Assembly forum to research advanced societies hosted the lecture.
Toffler said the mass production of goods and materials was in decline as customization was taking its place.
Heidi Toffler, his wife and also a futurist, stressed as well that ``we have to be more creative.''
Regarding the current global financial crisis, he underlined the need to use new tools to overcome it, claming it was wrong to say the financial predicament was not new.
``In 1925, the stock market crashed. And today's headlines say `1925, All Over Again,''' he said. ``Tools 30 years or 50 years ago we used are not like those to solve the current problems. The new crisis has almost never been discussed in America.''
He cast a skeptical view of mass education, a state-run education system, usually free, which gives all children in society at least a basic education, questioning a standardized system.
``Why should they start a public school at the same age? Some can go to school earlier and some can go later,'' he said.
``As people now live longer, we have a larger population. But why not school?'' he said.
He emphasized that people could go to school after retirement.
His claims basically start from his perception that we are living in society of ``tangible vs. intangible.''
Tangible means touchable and recognizable but today's economy, he said, is mixed with intangible qualities such as knowledge.
``For example, an assembly line. If I use it, you can't,'' he said. ``But in case of knowledge, you can use it in different ways and through different people.''
It is not necessarily scarce and can be shipped around the world in 10 seconds, he added.
Asked about the prospects of relations between North Korea and the United States, he cautiously said President-elect Barack Obama would likely show a softer stance.
``I have no inside information of the new U.S. administration but I guess Obama would first talk. It would take much time and patience. Then, he would shift his policy,'' he said.
The American writer and futurist earned a reputation for his works discussing changes including the digital revolution and communications revolution.
His works include ``Future Shock,'' published in 1970, ``The Third Wave'' in 1980, ``Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century'' in 1990 and ``Revolutionary Wealth'' in 2006.