4 ms·

You aren't wrong, but this has been a dilemma with every new technology. The camera had that effect, modern metalworking had that effect, even tractors had that

by Drakim 3y ago

You aren't wrong, but this has been a dilemma with every new technology. The camera had that effect, modern metalworking had that effect, even tractors had that effect. It's definitely a problem we should be talking about, but we can't go back in time or remain frozen, the genie never goes back in the bottle. We have to move forward towards the future while salvaging the parts of the past we want to bring with us.

HPsquared 3y ago
This line of thought goes back to Socrates and his supposed views on writing. (That it weakens the memory)
- PartiallyTyped 3y ago
  The major difference is that in the event that there's a catastrophic event, we won't be able to build the tech we need because the intermediate steps will be lost. It is also how we know there hasn't been a civilization more advanced than us that left without a trace. All the oil that was easy to extract has been extracted.
  - sebzim4500 3y ago
    I don't think that follows, it is easy to imagine an alternative history without all the hissyfits about nuclear fission or with real investment into nuclear fusion starting in the 70s.
    - PartiallyTyped 3y ago
      It's not just oil, it's also coal and other integral resources that are now difficult to extract because we are at the upper level of the S-curve and efficiency has dropped.
      - PeterisP 3y ago
        Well, coal is the resource that's gone, but all the metals - iron, silver, aluminum - aren't depleted (they don't disappear when we use them) and are much more accessible than they were before, because we dug them out from deep underground, refined them (especially for aluminum) and concentrated them in various places. If civilization would disappear, our scrapyards are better mining locations than anything the Romans had.
  - HPsquared 3y ago
    "What if something happens to all the books"
    - PartiallyTyped 3y ago
      > Raytheon has called in retired engineers to teach its employees how to build the Stinger missiles heavily used by Ukraine’s military—using blueprints drawn up during the Carter administration. https://www.defenseone.com/business/2023/06/raytheon-calls-retirees-help-restart-stinger-missile-production/388067/ https://www.defenseone.com/business/2023/06/raytheon-calls-r... And of course, lots of resources have been depleted.
Iv 3y ago
We need efficiency when we want to maximize comfort and minimize labor. But nothing forbids people to pursue less efficient endeavors during their free time. There are people maintaining old cars and locomotive. There are people gardening or woodworking "inefficiently" for their own pleasure. What we remove is the need to force people to work on these fields. Whether we abandon them altogether depends solely on our culture.
- xg15 3y ago
  > But nothing forbids people to pursue less efficient endeavors during their free time. Assuming they have free time.

by Drakim 3y ago

HPsquared 3y ago

This line of thought goes back to Socrates and his supposed views on writing. (That it weakens the memory)

PartiallyTyped 3y ago
The major difference is that in the event that there's a catastrophic event, we won't be able to build the tech we need because the intermediate steps will be lost. It is also how we know there hasn't been a civilization more advanced than us that left without a trace. All the oil that was easy to extract has been extracted.
- sebzim4500 3y ago
  I don't think that follows, it is easy to imagine an alternative history without all the hissyfits about nuclear fission or with real investment into nuclear fusion starting in the 70s.
  - PartiallyTyped 3y ago
    It's not just oil, it's also coal and other integral resources that are now difficult to extract because we are at the upper level of the S-curve and efficiency has dropped.
    - PeterisP 3y ago
      Well, coal is the resource that's gone, but all the metals - iron, silver, aluminum - aren't depleted (they don't disappear when we use them) and are much more accessible than they were before, because we dug them out from deep underground, refined them (especially for aluminum) and concentrated them in various places. If civilization would disappear, our scrapyards are better mining locations than anything the Romans had.
- HPsquared 3y ago
  "What if something happens to all the books"
  - PartiallyTyped 3y ago
    > Raytheon has called in retired engineers to teach its employees how to build the Stinger missiles heavily used by Ukraine’s military—using blueprints drawn up during the Carter administration. https://www.defenseone.com/business/2023/06/raytheon-calls-retirees-help-restart-stinger-missile-production/388067/ https://www.defenseone.com/business/2023/06/raytheon-calls-r... And of course, lots of resources have been depleted.

Iv 3y ago

We need efficiency when we want to maximize comfort and minimize labor. But nothing forbids people to pursue less efficient endeavors during their free time. There are people maintaining old cars and locomotive. There are people gardening or woodworking "inefficiently" for their own pleasure. What we remove is the need to force people to work on these fields. Whether we abandon them altogether depends solely on our culture.

xg15 3y ago
> But nothing forbids people to pursue less efficient endeavors during their free time. Assuming they have free time.