"The ship, Let There Be Light...was a cruiser, one of the new models which could accelerate most of the way and reach even Jupiter in a couple of weeks." (III, p. 150)
The Psychotechnic History is still in that early period of innovations in interplanetary flight. On Earth, there are technological advances with social consequences:
"'My father was one of the intellectual routineer class which was displaced by the Second Industrial Revolution, though he never joined the Humanists. He didn't like living off citizen's allowance and odd jobs - called it a handout.'" (p. 152)
It is not a handout. It is his right. Technology that replaces labour should serve the interests of everyone in society.
8 comments:
It doesn't, though. And a lot of people have their identity vested in their occupation; that's behind a lot of hostility to change.
There need to be strong incentives for technological change, or the government will be tempted to suppress it for the sake of social tranquility.
Eg., the flying-shuttle handloom roughly doubled labor productivity, besides allowing things like much broader woven swaths.
(It also demanded eight, rather than four, spinners per loom, which disrupted the trade rather thoroughly, and was a crucial factor in the invention of the "spinning jenny" to solve the problem.)
There's evidence that it was first invented in southern France, but the guilds and the French government combined to suppress it.
Then it was invented again in England, by John Kay. He faced enough opposition -- and violent threats -- that he relocated to France for a while, though the government in England was much more friendly to innovation.
Yes. We have to differentiate between transitional and post-transitional periods.
Kaor, Paul!
And somehow those "transitional" periods never seem to quite end--because I strongly suspect many people will remain permanently alienated.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
But not subsequent generations who have grown up in a different social environment with different education, expectations, possibilities etc.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I disagree. Because I believe there will always be some discontented people of many different kinds ranging from petty criminals to "philosophical" malcontents of varied stripes.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
But there will no longer be petty criminals when there is no longer any perceived need to steal anything or to attack anyone. Why should there always be discontent? We can identify and address every human need.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
And I don't believe that will be the case.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
Of course you don't. I don't see what makes it impossible.
Paul.
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