Sunday, January 26, 2014

The Second Machine Age

In today's StarTribune (1-26-2014) Clive Crook writes an article about if the technological changes are too much or not enough, especially putting workers out of work. He concludes that with the right reforms, it can be okay. Mostly I agree, but my approach is different.

Change is usually good. Technological change is mostly good. It need not result in the middle class being massively unemployed, replaced by robots. I believe that a society that is a constitutional republic with almost pure anarchism at work in local political realms, populated by individuator-anarchist citizens with Mavellonialist training. For these nimble-witted folk, any change is an opportunity for these adept, versatile, imaginative creators to invent further technologies, to start new business and to create new categories of jobs that will lead to full employment with the inability for employers to fill all the jobs. High wages, universal employment and universal affluence will result.

As a side note, Crook quotes a Professor Robert Gordon of Northwestern University that opines that all the really valuable inventions have been invented (like steam, electricity, or cheap computers--I would add cars, phones, industrialization, roads, etc). Subsequent inventions are of 2nd-tier value.  The best is yet ahead of us and the number of really valuable inventions coming is promising and open-ended if we reward individuals for inventing and making new machines and technologies.

Our groupist living preference is what dooms the future, and limits our chance for happiness, freedom and prosperity. Our self-limiting, collective psychology must be retired from social prominence.

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