Language-divides and Global Inequalities: Problems and Solution

In the enlightening article written by Thompson (1977), he perceived that our economy has reached another saturation point in the information age. A potential quantum jump in economic evolution that can bring us to a much higher levels of wealth creation is available. However, this potential is inhibited by a fundamental linguistic constraint. He suggests that a possible solution to the constraint is the creation of a global ideographic writing system. In this paper, we will discuss the problems created by the language divide, analyze the differences, costs and benefits of the phonetic and logographic writing systems, and then we suggest a framework with examples for the development of natural logographs in order to tap the potential huge benefits provided by the information and communication technology.