MoMe: Social Evolution and Industrial Revolution
Day 2,662, 09:50
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Published in Ireland 
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by
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by Raven Anarcho
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of choas. It is an area which we call the Mind of Madness.
PATTERNS OF SOCIAL EVOLUTION
Years ago I stated that specifically in the United States, Marijuana would one day be legalized. I also have continued to argue that stem cell research will take us to new heights, abortion will legalized and population control implemented.
Year by year, I watch as my (to some) bold predictions become ever closer to reality. It's clear where the future of our planet will take us when you study the patterns of history. Let's take population control for example. Centuries ago we discovered the world was neither flat nor infinite. We are limited in resources and land. Therefore until we have the technology to not only venture to other planets, but to colonize them, we must plan and act accordingly.
So if we know we are limited in space, and our population is massively growing each year, by following these patterns it’s safe to say that the US and other nations will one day adopt population control measures as China has. This is necessary. In this instance, abortion would be necessarily legalized for the future of humanity.
These are what I call the patterns of social evolution. When we realize what we thought yesterday was incorrect and adjust for the betterment of humanity. Where we realize that what we thought was morally wrong yesterday is acceptable or required today, or what was alright yesterday is actually unacceptable or harmful to humanity.
If you study history you will find that we as a whole are moving in the left or liberal (not necessarily libertarian) direction. I can tell you that eventually racism will be entirely eliminated, as will homophobia. Neo-conservative forces in the world do what they can to prevent this evolution forward, but all they do is hinder the social progression of humanity.
THE 2ND INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
This brings me to a pattern that can be traced for generations: the dissolution of human labour. In the 19th century, the industrial revolution transformed work into the capitalistic business-based society we have today. Before, a man made his product or service and kept all profit. Afterwards we have what politicians once called wage slavery. This is where a man or woman sells their time and energy to the highest bidder, normally making just enough to get by while the master keeps most of the profit. Today we call this business.
But the industrial revolution is not known only for this dramatic shift, but also the introduction of machinery replacing human labour on a massive scale. Since this time you’ll see more and more human jobs slowly being replaced by our more efficient counterparts. In the cold war era, many people feared technology to a degree. Even the television and microwave made many uneasy. But today, most in developed nations are nothing short of obsessed; in love with technology. Smart phones, facebook; we are entering a new era of technology.
When we ask ourselves what our meaning or purpose for existence is, we look towards religions and deities. These deities are the closest form of perfection we have to compare to. But we are taught that nobody will ever be perfect. However, we have given ourselves a meaning to live. We are becoming our own gods, reaching closer to perfection with every generation. This is our purpose, one which we’ve given ourselves without even recognizing. We have always strived to make labour and living easier, to find the more perfect way of doing things, even after we have become the dominant species on earth. Now we have bore our own child, technology. And it will someday eliminate all forms of human labour.
There’s not a single job out there that can’t or won’t be replaced with technology. In a few generations, mechanics and technicians will be the dominant occupation. Afterwards, even they will be replaced. Already there is an assistant mechanic, a robot, on the international space station.
How would we let this happen? We won’t. Companies and governments will. Let’s look at offshoring and outsourcing jobs. Companies will do anything to cut labour costs, giving them the competitive edge. It’s this blind drive for profit which will be their undoing. Unless governments step in and place restriction laws as to how many jobs a company can eliminate, this shift will be inevitable. And placing such a restriction, preventing companies from competing with their rivals, doesn’t sound very capitalistic does it?
Restaurants, which thrive on human interaction, are already starting this transition, with eliminating servers for touch screen tablets. Even the one thing that boosts economies the most, and has always been done by humans is being replaced with drones, war.
And what’s to happen with a world without labour? How will we survive without income? Well it’s obvious companies will become irrelevant. The transition, which I call the 2nd Industrial Revolution, will give governments no choice but to nationalize almost every industry, and supply their people with enough to live, making welfare look like giving a homeless person a dollar.
Through the patterns of history, we see technology is heading in this direction, making capitalism ultimately doomed unless we can colonize other planets or begin mining asteroids before this happens, which is very unlikely as war is such a high priority on this planet compared to space exploration. One can only hope this change will not be too violent and if humans continue with their intense obsession with technology, it’s a guarantee of an even faster transition.
EREP RELATION
Even our own game could be entirely run by technology. With keeping a system of servers operational, hardware fixes are becoming the only human-necessary task. As I’ve said, with the advancements of machine mechanics, even this game could one day be run without human work. Software could track the reactions from the player base to various changes, and make decisions and other changes/updates off of those reactions, should the game last long enough to see such advancements in technology.
CONCLUSION
What are your predictions for the future? What patterns lead to your predictions of our future? What are your thoughts on my predictions? Have any of your predictions of the past already come true?
MY CURRENT MISSION
I’ve been working with tailteann and playing a number of games lately. I’ve requested off on a night once a week that I’ve been working for years so I may have more time for this game soon. Until then I’ll be around, chirping about in congress occasionally and recruiting for tailteann.
-RA
Issue Song:
The Misfits – We are 138
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX3COyLWDig
"They are usually denominated labor-saving machines, but it would be more just to call them labor-doing machines" - Daniel Webster
The Irish Radical issue #111
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Comments
Interesting thoughts, though I'm not sure I agree with them all. I believe capitalism will find a way to bend any changes to it's will and the gap between those at the top and the vast majority will become even more pronounced with tidbits thrown around to keep the rabble fed. Saying that, I'd love to see the fall of capitalism and the rise of the ordinary person, but I doubt I'll see any movement towards that in my lifetime.
Not in your life time most likely, and probably in the late stages of mine at the earliest.
I think the future shift of nationalization is the breaking point in capitalism. Governments are more powerful than companies. But they choose to serve corporate interests in choosing profit over people. But when those people are jobless and angry after they are almost shut out of the economy, I think the government will have no choice but to turn totalitarian (for better or worse) and take control of all resources. Else it'd face revolution.
Governments have never given the people what they want, when they want. The masses have to put pressure on the government for these changes. When they're all unemployed, that pressure will be felt. 😛
Of course it may not all happen at once. But slowly the govts. could nationalize one sector at a time when they're dominated by machine labour. But most governments don't plan effectively for the future. I have a feeling it'll be an economic crisis of unemployment before they act.
You both need to realize that we need to reduce carbon emissions by 80% within the next 15-20 years or else we face catastrophic ecological consequences that will alter the entire global economic system.
Sooner we work to change it the more likely it is to come about. Devote your being towards bringing about revolutionary change (which can be done anywhere, anytime, with anyone) and don't leave whomever you may spawn or loved ones left behind in a world of scarcity, war, famine, and to put simply - a world of massive death and suffering.
Being young, 22, by the time I'm middle aged this world is going to be tough. By the time I'm old...heh who are the first ones to usually die when mass catastrophes happen? The old. Not the future I want.
Anytime I say that i'll see such changes within my lifetime, or within x amount of years, I always mean without saying should we live long enough, which is doubtful and rightfully so.
I just mean this is the 21st century and we, leftists and revolutionaries, should not push off the revolutionary process for some future generation to burden with - it is our responsibility to create the necessary conditions for true revolutionary change and consciousness to disrupt the capitalist memes in our society. That is all part of the revolutionary which we should devote our lives to or call ourselves hypocrites because we acknowledge the great flaws of capitalism and its contradictions yet do we stand on the side and do nothing or take an active revolutionary agent role in the process? Each of our lives are equally importantly, it's just how you choose to use it that distinguishes those who have influenced the course of history more than others - which isn't meant to devalue the role everyone plays in societal development, but you can get what I mean. If we choose to not act on our knowledge than we are no better than the system which we despise.
Ultimately let's not hope that future generations will take care of this problem, whether or not our fight is useless is irrelevant. Devoting your life to the struggle is perhaps the greatest sacrifice that we can make in contributing to the revolutionary struggle and perhaps this may one day lead to revolutionary change - if not than we set a precedent for future generations to follow.
Don't waste a moment, don't waste a life, it is the only one you got and although our well being it is important, I would choose a life of poverty if it meant service to the community than a life of prosperity if it meant only for myself. Anyways, just my opinion, peace mate. 🙂
It's a continuing struggle, to maintain control of government by the people rather than by the rich. The function of government is to control the excesses of the rich, provide food and housing for the poor and organize the essential services which are not properly provided by capitalism (health and social care, education, justice)
I like the article Raven. I just have one small thing to say.
You said "These are what I call the patterns of social evolution. When we realize what we thought yesterday was incorrect and adjust for the betterment of humanity. Where we realize that what we thought was morally wrong yesterday is acceptable or required today, or what was alright yesterday is actually unacceptable or harmful to humanity."
I just want to know it you watch the news here in the US? 🙂
I do not. lol I only watch foreign and international news.
Well the US news is full of examples that would lead me to believe that this won't happen for a loooooong time.
I don't mean it's a short term public epiphany. xD The abolishment of slavery, womens rights, ect. are all examples of social evolution. Decades later it can be summed up as us changing as a populace but it definitely takes quite a long time for the changes in mentality to occur. Progress can really only be measured by the generation.
Generation is right. Bummer part is us people who have to wait around for generational changes. 😉
If I didn't have a final exam due tomorrow I'd love to reply to this..
We still have a lot of wide open spaces on this planet and we keep discovering new resources. We are also getting better at recycling and maintaining the environment. Eventually we will need to expand or move to other planets but Earth still has a bit of potential left. Capitalism is quite good at producing things. We need Socialism as well to control it and provide services such as Health and Social Care, Education, Research, Justice.
Do you think the rate which we're getting better is outmatching the rate at which we're populating? Also what are your thoughts on machine labours slow replacement of human labour?
I was listening to a story on NPR about this and the guy doing the math showed that the change from being able to support our civilization to not being able to is very quick. A finite system (Earth) can only support us for so long. The time frame shrinks exponentially. It was a scary story.
It doesn't matter if we recycle better and treat the environment slightly better, our production methods alone (our capitalist system) is the root of the problem. Unless we change that we're not going to be able to make any significant progress in restoring the environment.
And that is that.
On an income level, people are gradually getting less poor:
"According to the most recent estimates, in 2011, 17 percent of people in the developing world lived at or below $1.25 a day. That’s down from 43 percent in 1990 and 52 percent in 1981." http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/overview
The challenge is to put socialism into practice and provide the services that are needed to everybody. Spreading education and health care to all will increase our ability to make better use of the resources and environment that we still have. The big problem in tackling this is to bring corruption under control, and that requires implementation of a working civil service and rule of law in developing countries.
I agree with the need to spread education and healthcare for a more sustainable planet. But what about labour? Do you think humans will be working still for hundreds or thousands of years to come? Or shall we phase out labour all together with the use of machinery and technology? If so, how could capitalism survive?
What is labour? Humans are certainly not going to stop thinking, caring for each other, and creating. That is the way we are. Constructing physical items, farming for food, building houses may take less of our time. Art, literature, research, exploration (including space exploration) may take more of our time.
agreed. That is our overall objective I feel. To eliminate work so that we can focus on creation and doing things we are truly passionate about. But living, such as building houses, growing and harvesting food, providing power, drinkable water, clothing, ect. will not be done by humans for very long.
Back to the Garden of Eden 🙂
You should put stuff like that in your diary.