I think there are definitely some techno-optimist Asian writers out there, although I’m not sure who to cite in English except for some real outlier people like Naomi Wu.
I’d also like to decline the invitation to click on any Tyler Cowen links because anytime I’ve seen his comment section it’s been extremely racist, those posters are more into eugenics than a Slate Star Codex commenter.
Techno optimist British Arab with some other admixtures here. Have been hardcore techno optimist since my "When Solar Becomes Cheaper Than Coal" blog posts like 7 or 8 years ago.
One of the challenges techno-optimists fail to confront is rapid technological obsolescence especially as the inevitable processing pendulum swings back from the core (cloud) to the edge. This will be particularly apparent with internet of things sensors where product lifecycles are measured in weeks, months and quarters. Put this obsolescence challenge under the broader mantra of new network models that mirror those found in nature and are more sustainable and equitable. Few are talking about how these new networks can or will develop.
I like the idea of humano optimism, the idea that human emotional advance is far more important than human technical advance, we don't need better technology, we need better ethics.
Without ethical advance there is no such thing as technical advance, technology only advances injustice then, without technology the current concentration of wealth, better termed the generalization of poverty, would not be possible, technology makes the consequence of inequity much worse.
On the pessimist side like at John Gray, Rod Dreher, Sohrab Ahmari, and other traditionalist writers. The best Christian techno-pessimist works are a few decades old (like those of Phil Sherrard), but they carry forward the tradition
#3 Technology improves and productivity improves slowly.
The #3 case is more likely then #2, because almost all "pure" technology improvements have a much lower impact on productivity than the diffusion and improvement in the use of new cheaper, more energy dense fuels.
For example technology is still improving slowly trucks and truck engines, but nearly all productivity improvements came from replacing horse carts with trucks, and in the first several years when truck technology improved rapidly because there were "low hanging fruits".
I think there are definitely some techno-optimist Asian writers out there, although I’m not sure who to cite in English except for some real outlier people like Naomi Wu.
I’d also like to decline the invitation to click on any Tyler Cowen links because anytime I’ve seen his comment section it’s been extremely racist, those posters are more into eugenics than a Slate Star Codex commenter.
One thing:
- Have you heard of Audrey Tang?
The SPAC boom is a sign of the start of a new century! Yikes. The brave new future of grift...
Techno optimist British Arab with some other admixtures here. Have been hardcore techno optimist since my "When Solar Becomes Cheaper Than Coal" blog posts like 7 or 8 years ago.
One of the challenges techno-optimists fail to confront is rapid technological obsolescence especially as the inevitable processing pendulum swings back from the core (cloud) to the edge. This will be particularly apparent with internet of things sensors where product lifecycles are measured in weeks, months and quarters. Put this obsolescence challenge under the broader mantra of new network models that mirror those found in nature and are more sustainable and equitable. Few are talking about how these new networks can or will develop.
I like the idea of humano optimism, the idea that human emotional advance is far more important than human technical advance, we don't need better technology, we need better ethics.
Without ethical advance there is no such thing as technical advance, technology only advances injustice then, without technology the current concentration of wealth, better termed the generalization of poverty, would not be possible, technology makes the consequence of inequity much worse.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-17/bluewaters-coal-fired-power-station-written-off-books/12990532
Wow! It happened so fast, never thought I'd see something like that
On the pessimist side like at John Gray, Rod Dreher, Sohrab Ahmari, and other traditionalist writers. The best Christian techno-pessimist works are a few decades old (like those of Phil Sherrard), but they carry forward the tradition
There are actually *three* possible outcomes:
#1 Technology stagnates.
#2 Technology improves and productivity booms.
#3 Technology improves and productivity improves slowly.
The #3 case is more likely then #2, because almost all "pure" technology improvements have a much lower impact on productivity than the diffusion and improvement in the use of new cheaper, more energy dense fuels.
For example technology is still improving slowly trucks and truck engines, but nearly all productivity improvements came from replacing horse carts with trucks, and in the first several years when truck technology improved rapidly because there were "low hanging fruits".