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Agreed. We have the Machine right now, it's called China and the Midwest + Rail/Tractor Trailer Trucks + Walmart.
by willholloway 10y ago
Agreed. We have the Machine right now, it's called China and the Midwest + Rail/Tractor Trailer Trucks + Walmart.
- TaylorAlexander 10y agoAuthor here. An important distinction between China and The Machine is that a group of people can purchase and wholly own The Machine. If you can't purchase it, you have to agree to the social contract offered by those who do. For us that means we have to accept the state of the labor conditions in Bangladesh for example, which I would rather not do. This is a classic problem with capitalism. If a group of people can purchase The Machine then they can decide for themselves what they are willing to accept. And in general if survival is automated and the knowledge for how to reproduce this is free, we're way less likely to see people in far off places being exploited for manual labor.
- willholloway 10y agoI agree with the goals, and one day the dream will come true. But that day requires a breakthrough like energy to matter replication. But I salute you, it's better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
- TaylorAlexander 10y agoThank you. I agree it is a difficult challenge and I am looking at 100+ year timescales. That said we can certainly make machines that for example recycle plastics in to new mechanical parts and machines that grow food in a fully automated way. But portions of The Machine are intentionally more fanciful in order to stimulate good discussion.
- glangdale 10y agoYou are aware that 80% of the US economy is services, right? Will The Machine do all that, too, after it's completely conquered such minor inconveniences as "Economies of Scale"?