In an essay by Hank Williams, the tech entrepreneur argues that we are in an “awful” in-between phase of our planet’s productivity curve. He says that technology has vastly reduced the number of workers and resources that are required to make what the planet needs. Williams says:
When you read in the press the oft-quoted concept that “those jobs aren’t coming back” this “reduction of need” is what underlies all of it. Technology has reduced the need for labor. And the labor that *is* needed can’t be done in more developed nations because there are people elsewhere who will happily provide that labor less expensively.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Williams goes on to say that society is going to evolve with technology so we become self-sufficient and individuals will be able to produce the stuff they want with the energy they create:
In the long term, technology is almost certainly the solution to the problem. When we create devices that individuals will be able to own that will be able to produce everything that we need, the solution will be at hand. This is *not* science fiction. We are starting to see that happen with energy with things like rooftop solar panels and less expensive wind turbines. We are nowhere near where we need to be, but it is obvious that eventually everyone will be able to produce his or her own energy.
The same will be true for clothing, where personal devices will be able to make our clothing in our homes on demand. Food will be commoditized in a similar way, making it possible to have the basic necessities of life with a few low cost source materials.
Interesting future thinking about the impact of technology on our lives.
Hank Williams: “The problem with the economy: you aren’t needed any more”
[image via avramc]
Facebook
Twitter
Digg
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Remember that old statistic, 20% of the world’s population consumes 80% of its resources? It still applies. One can envision a future where 20% of the world’s population is happily churning out solar and wind power and living comfortably, as comfortably as now. But what about the other 80%? Will our much-vaunted ingenuity lead to efficiency gains with sufficient speed to avoid environmental catastrophe as China’s population, and India’s, try to emulate Western consumption habits? I think it unlikely. Think of all the cars, cell phones, refrigerators, furniture pieces, office furniture, toilets, microwaves, shipping containers, storage bins, rubber products, plastics, etc., that are being churned out? Now add a couple of billion people to that mix. On demand manufacturing is all well and good — so long as the extraction of all that raw material is still possible, and the byproducts don’t kill us.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:02 pm
@Jay: When and if molecular manufacturing hits, all of that will be a non-issue, as all that will be required to manufacture virtually anything is energy and raw elements. It would be simple for even 3rd world nations to “leapfrog” to first-world, at least technologically, and our environmental impact would be drastically reduced. I think that, aside from alternative energy, as much of our research as possible should be directed toward that goal.
On another subject, I’m not sure that home manufacturing of clothing will catch on for a long, long time. Clothes are one of our primary indicators of status, and those who wear clothes made of materials that can’t be home manufactured will likely outrank those who don’t.
September 23rd, 2009 at 2:20 pm