Continuing Change

L.W. Nicholson

1995

Published in:

The Northwest Technocrat 2nd quarter 1995, No. 339

Throughout all past history humankind has had a hard time just to exist. In early times almost all people's time was likely devoted to satisfying the pangs of hunger. Slowly at first, then at an increasing pace, more efficient methods were devised; primitive agriculture increased the food supply and required less time and effort, allowing the population to grow and allowing a little extra time for other things to be considered. Many superstitions evolved to "explain" a world which couldn't be understood. However, at the same time, more efficient methods of physical production were developed and some increase in effective human knowledge occurred.

For thousands of years human progress was slowed and no doubt new ideas were few and far between, often rejected because they were new. Nevertheless, during this time progress in the ability to produce was limited by the necessary dependence on the 1/10 horsepower of human muscles, aided by a few domesticated animals, crude waterwheels and windmills.

Only recently about 1776, was a mechanical method to convert energy from other sources developed. this was the steam engine, and it started a technological progression which caused more social change in a shorter length of time than any phenomenon before in human history. All the technological development of the past 2 1/4 centuries has resulted from this increase in the rate at which work could be done as a function of time.

Since 1776, the ability to produce per capita has increased by some 40 times, and the number of people living and working full time on farms dropped from 95 percent of the population (U.S.) to 2 percent. The displaced farmers became production workers in factories. But, with time, the number of these factory workers peaked and many were "released" to become service workers. Then the number of service workers also peaked and the number "released" has overwhelmed the job market keeping wages down. At this time less than 20 percent of human labor is required in the production of all the nation's physical requirements. During this time, working hours have been reduced to less than one-half of the former number. No longer is it necessary to find people to do necessary work; it is now necessary to search far and wide to find jobs for the people who are no longer needed in the work force. Part-time workers are on the increase or unemployment would be much greater than it now is. Traditionally, purchasing power has been distributed as a reward for human labor. We now find this so inadequate that we must provide unemployment benefits, welfare, etc. to take up the slack. This is the present state of affairs in the U.S. and Canada. This trend is now in effect, and we are now in the computer age and may expect an acceleration of this trend.

Human labor is obviously in a process of becoming obsolete on this Continent, and our attempts to ignore this and to maintain traditional methods of distribution is rapidly becoming impossible to continue. We have 35 million Americans living in poverty to prove it. our blind faith in an economic system based on the barter system, which dates back to before recorded history, is completely unjustified in the face of the trends now in progress.

For thousands of years human "Progress" has resulted from the increasing ability to produce, and human thought processes have been geared to this type of activity. The problems of distribution of a scarcity have been antiquated by the ability to produce plenty, while we insist on the continued use of scarcity methods of distribution. These are opposite conditions and require entirely different solutions. The back breaking, stoop-labor of the past hasn't prepared us to face the great success we have had in increasing our productive capacity in recent years. Now that human toil has changed from a major part of human life to a minor part, it has left us far behind in our concepts. The human poverty of the past hasn't prepared us for the problems of poverty in the midst of plenty, so we don't know what to do about it.

Certainly, any knowledgeable person should have recognized these trends years ago. Since the increasing use of extraneous energy in the production process has allowed more to be produced per capita than ever before, it should have been obvious that a continuation of this type of change would, sooner or later, result in the ability to produce plenty for all. So - serious consideration should be given to the economic effects of this trend. In college, even in high schools, for the past 50 years there should have been classes teaching students the economic requirements and the operating characteristics of an economy of plenty. We have known for many years that plenty ruins price. Haven't we destroyed farm products as far back as the 1930s in order to keep prices up? How can we plead ignorance after all this time?

Great economic changes are required and the North American students of all ages should be taught to understand the vast difference between the past ages of scarcity and the emerging age of plenty. How can plenty be distributed, and how can an age of plenty be maintained when profit directed technology chews up natural resources in such vast quantities? Before the citizens of North America can enjoy the abundance their technology can already produce they must educate themselves concerning the operating characteristics of an entirely new social system. There is simply no other way it can be done.

The leaders of tomorrow must be able to determine the direction society must take in order to exist in the new conditions.

The need for human labor is rapidly declining as computer directed technology takes over an increasing number of jobs formerly held by humans. This traditional practice of distributing purchasing power as a reward for human labor must be replaced by a far more efficient method.

The idea that one person should be "paid" more or less than any other person becomes pointless in an economy of plenty. No longer is there any point in trying to maintain an unequal difference between people enforced by economic pressure.

If the age of plenty is to last, the shoddy goods rackets of the past and present must be replaced by the production of superior products of optimum quality in order to conserve non-replaceable natural resources.

The future governance must be vastly different from the past, and our present educational system is not allowed to provide the knowledge required. At present the only source of information on this subject is Technocracy Inc. However, Technocracy has no patent on this knowledge: anyone who cares to "steal" it is welcome to do so.