• tags :: technologyprogresslinear progresstechnological development

There is a mistaken belief that technological progress is linear. That is to say, that if all of society were wiped out and all of humanity were sent back to the stone age, that in the same amount of time we'd arrive at the same technological inventions. This is a mistake for a few reasons.

1. Technological development is socially determined and constrained. The ancient Romans would not have ever invented anything resembling modern steel manufacturing, for example, since they were not capitalists (they did have steel production but it was not industrialized obviously)

2. Further, technological development since the industrial revolutionhas had two tendencies:

   1. Pursuit of new technologies to increase productivity, thereby increasing profits in manufacturing etc.

   2. Pursuit of new technologies to sell as commodities or extract as rents

3. Technological development in capitalism is therefore directed for specific ends and ad hoc

For these reasons it's ridiculous to believe that technological progress will continue until all social problems have been solved by technology