10 Inconvenient Truths About Technology (Ignore This to Your Own Detriment)
I'm recently reading a book called Economics in One Lesson (Highly recommend), which, although written in 1946 (updated in 1979) is as useful, if not more so, today as it was when first written. These ideas stem from that writing with my added 2 pennies and pocket lint.
- Increasing production
- Raising the standard of living
- Increased economic welfare
- How about remove the "Need" for employment altogether (or at least the manual labor part)?
- Allowance for us to work on "other" things we have passion and purpose for (like art)
- Discovering new ways to be "useful" to humanity
- Innovation and Inventions
1. The ENTIRE concept of civilization and it's advancement is founded on Tech
People have been trying to figure out how to make their lives easier since forever. That's what tools are for. Tech all about our ability to use things in the environment or to manifest things that make our lives "better" (whatever that means).
Obvs some people figure out how to do that faster than others, and some will benefit from that ability more than others. So long as it benefits mankind as a whole, why stop technological progress?
It's destructive or detrimental tech that needs to be curbed.
2. Machines do NOT create unemployment
Throughout history, evidence only shows that technology increases employment.
Yes, Machines might remove tasks previously done by humans, but so what?
Our life is not about work is it?
We work to enjoy the benefits of modern society.
Most of us don't want to live to work, but instead we work to live and enjoy modern conveniences.
It's NOT a requirement.
It's how the system is setup.
We learn the skills we need to play and advance in the game or we lose the game.
3. Technology makes PRODUCTION more EFFICIENT
Again, tools are technology.
One of techs functions is to reduce wasted energy and effort to make things that make life easier or better in some way.
If it's about mass production at scale so that things can be made for many humans to enjoy why would we want to hamper that?
Making things more efficient means we can then divert energy to doing or making other things.
I'm not sure anyone wants a job for a job's sake.
We want the benefits the job provides, not the job itself.
4. Technology lowers COSTS of Production
The lower the cost of things we want out of life, the more people can afford it and get to enjoy them.
Technology tends to help democratize everything.
Once basic needs are met, we get to focus on either enjoying more luxuries or work on developing ourselves in some way.
Basically, tech is a net positive enabler.
5. Technology, GENERALLY increases employment opportunities
Tech might kill a few jobs in the short term, yes.
Again, history shows the net effect though is an increase in jobs or the creation of new jobs to be done.
Example:
In 1760 when the cotton spinning machinery was invented there were about 7,900 people working in that industry. In 1787, just 27 years later... there were 320,000 people in that field.
In 1910 there were 140,000 people working in the automobile industry. 1920, 250,000. 1930, 380,000 By 1973 there were 941,000.
Sometimes new industries emerge and people shift over there (example cars → planes).
6. Technology enrages some class of folks with each new advancement
Look up luddites, technocrats and technophobes.
I won't get into here because...there are just a bunch of folks that always crop up that can't stand technology for one reason or another.
7. Technology provides NEW POSSIBILITIES
Through technology we've been able to travel to the moon. Not possible without technology.
Through technology we've been able to cure diseases previously deemed incurable.
We can do things now that our ancestors would consider magic or even impossible.
8. Not all technology is about "saving-labor"
Planes, trains, rockets and ships are about faster travel to different destinations.
Phones, pc and radio are about faster communication across vast distances in the blink of an eye.
Bio tech advancements can extend and enhance our lives.
Etc.
9. Short term personal tragedies are incidental to all industrial & economic progress
Once something or someone else can do a job for less, yes, a wage for that job is decreased or eliminated altogether.
Once a skill is obsolete, it's time to develop new skills.
Figure out what people need or want or don't want to do and offer to do it in exchange for whatever you can get agreement to.
It's the way we've operated since the dawn of human civilization.
10. The REAL VALUE of Technology
Technology's real value is:
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