Technocracy was a popular concept in the chaotic 1920s and 30s as one alternative solution to the Communists, who had their own vision, centralized state planning to create wealth.
Thanks for reminding us of the old Tphil plan and noting that China is well advanced on this model. History is replete with other Utopian schemes which failed at a cost.
The current Western obsession with the economic results of the AI revolution should shift to concern about the political ramifications- which are far more invasive and long term. The Danes can be persuaded to make a deal on Greenland. Our new Canadian Prime Minister also knows how to cut deals on the car industry. All good.
The problem is not whether the ruling class has a plan for the rest of us, but whether the elite can be held accountable if they screw up... as they often have.
That is why good political systems are more crucial than economic ones.
Fascinating piece, Diane. Although my gut reaction, at the outset, would be to fume against such fundamental changes in the social order that are initiated by an "elite" class for the rest of us members of the "lumpen proletariat," I'm not convinced that we have the luxury of discounting them altogether. Automation, AI, and robots pose a near-term threat to millions of people now gainfully employed, even in such complex professions as medicine and law. As employees are "let go" because technology provides non-human and cheaper, more dependable alternatives, who is to employ them? But without jobs, they will become either a passive welfare class awaiting minimal payments and ready to accept socialist/communist "solutions" or a source of continuing disruption and discontent. Maybe engineers and scientists can do a better job than lawyers.
Yes, I know the old "bromide" about the horse and buggy being replaced by the even larger employable potential of automobiles, but - when "production" is largely automated and material needs are supplied by machines how many "robot repair" jobs will there be to absorb the surplus before other robots will be built to replace the human "fixers"?
As usual, Diane, you provide such breathtakingly interesting global insights that are not otherwise available and offer rich food for thought.
Unbelievable, and thank you, Diane, for the history lesson. MAGA conspirators are certainly riding on Trump's popularity. Let's hope this insanity comes to an end soon. There are too many billionaires taking advantage of Trump's Presidential position. He loves the attention and admiration.
About the differences between green energy and fossil fuel energy for base load power as a result of the Portuguese/Spanish grid failures. A learning experience, or a one-off?
There are grounds for impeaching Trump as he is illegally imposing tariffs globally and only Congress can do this. He is also ignoring decisions of over 100 judges.
Yet practically no one speaks out. Clinton, Bush? Meanwhile America becomes a dictatorship.
I have always been a little surprised at the disjuncture between our interest in the vicissitudes of technology and our interest in human nature. The apparent ubiquitous emphasis on technology as a societal “savior,” absent a better collective understanding of who we are appears misplaced to me.
I believe we find it easier to look at technology in sometimes illusory ways, and often find it too hard to try to better understand who we are; what we are capable of at our best and worst; why that may be a developmenral issue; how human nature might be remediable and the options available to us through our institutions to achieve better human development outcomes.
It’s a little analogous to my blaming you for my shortcomings because it’s easier to blame you than myself!
I'm running out of Tylenol - an end to this madness would be so 'sweet' - I've stopped watching American news stations cuz it's talk talk talk . WHY they can't arrest this madman on grounds of American security threats is beyond me, and obviously the Americans can't do that. I say, GRAB Trump & ship him to El Salvador in chackles with shaved head - throw the key away just as he's done to others. "I have a dream!" - My apologizes for my 'wishful dreaming." I have nothing to offer.
The prison in El Salvador is too good for Trump. Let's not forget his MAGA conspirators, who are committing acts of treason. They don't even bother to hide the corruption. The swamp has turned into an ocean.
Thanks Diane for the Musk history. Sixty five years ago I lived in Greenland for a year. I was born in Saskatchewan. Several hundred miles north of my town per-ma frost lay below the ground year round. Greenland and Canada are good grabs for i cloud storage sheds. Cloud storage needs cold and water. The people that occupy those regions are of no interest to tech ambitions I would say.
Remember Musk's grandfather told him the Blacks in South Africa just came down from the trees. Trump just stayed to South African President white farmers bring erridicated. More lies by mad king.
Regardless of the intention of this administration, its actions lead to just one thing, i.e. the isolation of the US from the world. Consequently, the influence of American technology on the world will diminish with time until the policy changes.
If you have any doubt, just take a look at the US farming industry and community. The depression is already started there and will spread like a drop of oil on a sheet of absorptive paper. Grain silos are full, fields are not harvested, administrative personnel are being laid off.
Next will be the small businesses whose business is importing goods and selling those good on Amazon. All of them will have to scale back or stop their businesses and laying off people. That is when some smelly stuff hit the fan and it is not far away, only few weeks time.
Meanwhile China does not show any sign of panicking or willing to negotiate, they have prepared for this eventual, they have alternative of supplies and also alternatives of demands.
If Trump does not blink in six weeks, the damages to the US economy would be permanent and not repairable.
The world is resolute and prepare to live and thrive without the US. The world will retaliate against any measure the US put on the world. The world will be harmed but the US will be maimed.
All these misguided blustering and posturing will only serve to reduce the standing of the US
on the world stage. To name a few, invading Greenland, Mexico, Canada, Panama, take over Gaza from the people of Palestine.
The US is no longer a prohibitive economic and/or military powers of the world. Pretending it is would do unfathomable harms to the US.
Technocracy was a popular concept in the chaotic 1920s and 30s as one alternative solution to the Communists, who had their own vision, centralized state planning to create wealth.
Thanks for reminding us of the old Tphil plan and noting that China is well advanced on this model. History is replete with other Utopian schemes which failed at a cost.
The current Western obsession with the economic results of the AI revolution should shift to concern about the political ramifications- which are far more invasive and long term. The Danes can be persuaded to make a deal on Greenland. Our new Canadian Prime Minister also knows how to cut deals on the car industry. All good.
The problem is not whether the ruling class has a plan for the rest of us, but whether the elite can be held accountable if they screw up... as they often have.
That is why good political systems are more crucial than economic ones.
Fascinating piece, Diane. Although my gut reaction, at the outset, would be to fume against such fundamental changes in the social order that are initiated by an "elite" class for the rest of us members of the "lumpen proletariat," I'm not convinced that we have the luxury of discounting them altogether. Automation, AI, and robots pose a near-term threat to millions of people now gainfully employed, even in such complex professions as medicine and law. As employees are "let go" because technology provides non-human and cheaper, more dependable alternatives, who is to employ them? But without jobs, they will become either a passive welfare class awaiting minimal payments and ready to accept socialist/communist "solutions" or a source of continuing disruption and discontent. Maybe engineers and scientists can do a better job than lawyers.
Yes, I know the old "bromide" about the horse and buggy being replaced by the even larger employable potential of automobiles, but - when "production" is largely automated and material needs are supplied by machines how many "robot repair" jobs will there be to absorb the surplus before other robots will be built to replace the human "fixers"?
As usual, Diane, you provide such breathtakingly interesting global insights that are not otherwise available and offer rich food for thought.
Unbelievable, and thank you, Diane, for the history lesson. MAGA conspirators are certainly riding on Trump's popularity. Let's hope this insanity comes to an end soon. There are too many billionaires taking advantage of Trump's Presidential position. He loves the attention and admiration.
About the differences between green energy and fossil fuel energy for base load power as a result of the Portuguese/Spanish grid failures. A learning experience, or a one-off?
I wonder what anyone thinks about technocrats, or at least some knowledge of basic technology,
A refreshing perspective on global politics.
Thank you Diane.
There are grounds for impeaching Trump as he is illegally imposing tariffs globally and only Congress can do this. He is also ignoring decisions of over 100 judges.
Yet practically no one speaks out. Clinton, Bush? Meanwhile America becomes a dictatorship.
I have always been a little surprised at the disjuncture between our interest in the vicissitudes of technology and our interest in human nature. The apparent ubiquitous emphasis on technology as a societal “savior,” absent a better collective understanding of who we are appears misplaced to me.
I believe we find it easier to look at technology in sometimes illusory ways, and often find it too hard to try to better understand who we are; what we are capable of at our best and worst; why that may be a developmenral issue; how human nature might be remediable and the options available to us through our institutions to achieve better human development outcomes.
It’s a little analogous to my blaming you for my shortcomings because it’s easier to blame you than myself!
Extremely interesting. Kudos to you Diane for bringing this story to centre stage. Thank you.
I'm running out of Tylenol - an end to this madness would be so 'sweet' - I've stopped watching American news stations cuz it's talk talk talk . WHY they can't arrest this madman on grounds of American security threats is beyond me, and obviously the Americans can't do that. I say, GRAB Trump & ship him to El Salvador in chackles with shaved head - throw the key away just as he's done to others. "I have a dream!" - My apologizes for my 'wishful dreaming." I have nothing to offer.
The prison in El Salvador is too good for Trump. Let's not forget his MAGA conspirators, who are committing acts of treason. They don't even bother to hide the corruption. The swamp has turned into an ocean.
Thanks Diane for the Musk history. Sixty five years ago I lived in Greenland for a year. I was born in Saskatchewan. Several hundred miles north of my town per-ma frost lay below the ground year round. Greenland and Canada are good grabs for i cloud storage sheds. Cloud storage needs cold and water. The people that occupy those regions are of no interest to tech ambitions I would say.
Remember Musk's grandfather told him the Blacks in South Africa just came down from the trees. Trump just stayed to South African President white farmers bring erridicated. More lies by mad king.
Regardless of the intention of this administration, its actions lead to just one thing, i.e. the isolation of the US from the world. Consequently, the influence of American technology on the world will diminish with time until the policy changes.
If you have any doubt, just take a look at the US farming industry and community. The depression is already started there and will spread like a drop of oil on a sheet of absorptive paper. Grain silos are full, fields are not harvested, administrative personnel are being laid off.
Next will be the small businesses whose business is importing goods and selling those good on Amazon. All of them will have to scale back or stop their businesses and laying off people. That is when some smelly stuff hit the fan and it is not far away, only few weeks time.
Meanwhile China does not show any sign of panicking or willing to negotiate, they have prepared for this eventual, they have alternative of supplies and also alternatives of demands.
If Trump does not blink in six weeks, the damages to the US economy would be permanent and not repairable.
The world is resolute and prepare to live and thrive without the US. The world will retaliate against any measure the US put on the world. The world will be harmed but the US will be maimed.
All these misguided blustering and posturing will only serve to reduce the standing of the US
on the world stage. To name a few, invading Greenland, Mexico, Canada, Panama, take over Gaza from the people of Palestine.
The US is no longer a prohibitive economic and/or military powers of the world. Pretending it is would do unfathomable harms to the US.