4 ms·

That's technology, not wealth.

Manuel_D 2y ago
What do you think wealth is? A big part of wealth generation is finding new technologies and applying them to build better things.
- defrost 2y ago
  Is that how you'd describe the wealth of Bezos? Better shopping, or is it more about capturing shopping and taking a slice from all transactions?
- dventimi 2y ago
  I think it's abundance in one's material conditions. That's not technology. Technology is knowledge. That's completely different.
  - Manuel_D 2y ago
    Technology is the application of knowledge. Often to improve one's material conditions. Even an average person in this day's age has amenities that nobody, not even the wealthiest noble, could have achieved in preindustrial eras. We have air conditioning, electricity, antibiotics, vaccines, antiseptic, and near-instant communication worldwide. Our material conditions have drastically improved. Wealth is not finite, not even remotely.
    - dventimi 2y ago
      I suspect these people do not have ready access to air conditioning, electricity, or even antibiotics, and they're not going to get it simply by appealing to "technology." https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/haiti/overview#1 https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/haiti/overview#1
      - Manuel_D 2y ago
        The entire world lived in those conditions a couple hundred years ago, now it's a handful of countries experiencing that level of deprivation. That's huge progress!
        dventimi 2y ago
        Not for the people living in those conditions, it isn't.
        slothtrop 2y ago
        I'm sure evaporating Musk' wealth will fix that.
        dventimi 2y ago
        I'm not. It wouldn't hurt, but it wouldn't help much, either. Evaporate the wealth of about 400 other people, then go after the next level of 4000 and then the next 40000 and then we'd be getting somewhere.
        slothtrop 2y ago
        That will do absolutely nothing for those countries.
        dventimi 2y ago
        Nobody can predict the future, not even you. So you have no idea if that would have an effect on the economic output of those countries (which is what you mean by "wealth" even if you don't know it). One thing we do have an idea about and can say with certainty about some of the effects it will have on the people in those countries. We can say with certainty that 400, or 4000, or 40000 people will become less wealthy, and everyone else will become less poor.
slothtrop 2y ago
It's wealth.
- dventimi 2y ago
  It's technology, which is information not material goods. The technology--the information--necessary to create an iPhone didn't exist in the world 40 years ago, but it does now. So what? Armed with that information alone, is that somehow going to get you an iPhone?

What do you think wealth is? A big part of wealth generation is finding new technologies and applying them to build better things.

defrost 2y ago
Is that how you'd describe the wealth of Bezos? Better shopping, or is it more about capturing shopping and taking a slice from all transactions?
dventimi 2y ago
I think it's abundance in one's material conditions. That's not technology. Technology is knowledge. That's completely different.
- Manuel_D 2y ago
  Technology is the application of knowledge. Often to improve one's material conditions. Even an average person in this day's age has amenities that nobody, not even the wealthiest noble, could have achieved in preindustrial eras. We have air conditioning, electricity, antibiotics, vaccines, antiseptic, and near-instant communication worldwide. Our material conditions have drastically improved. Wealth is not finite, not even remotely.
  - dventimi 2y ago
    I suspect these people do not have ready access to air conditioning, electricity, or even antibiotics, and they're not going to get it simply by appealing to "technology." https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/haiti/overview#1 https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/haiti/overview#1
    - Manuel_D 2y ago
      The entire world lived in those conditions a couple hundred years ago, now it's a handful of countries experiencing that level of deprivation. That's huge progress!
      - dventimi 2y ago
        Not for the people living in those conditions, it isn't.
        slothtrop 2y ago
        I'm sure evaporating Musk' wealth will fix that.
        dventimi 2y ago
        I'm not. It wouldn't hurt, but it wouldn't help much, either. Evaporate the wealth of about 400 other people, then go after the next level of 4000 and then the next 40000 and then we'd be getting somewhere.
        slothtrop 2y ago
        That will do absolutely nothing for those countries.
        dventimi 2y ago
        Nobody can predict the future, not even you. So you have no idea if that would have an effect on the economic output of those countries (which is what you mean by "wealth" even if you don't know it). One thing we do have an idea about and can say with certainty about some of the effects it will have on the people in those countries. We can say with certainty that 400, or 4000, or 40000 people will become less wealthy, and everyone else will become less poor.

slothtrop 2y ago

It's wealth.

dventimi 2y ago
It's technology, which is information not material goods. The technology--the information--necessary to create an iPhone didn't exist in the world 40 years ago, but it does now. So what? Armed with that information alone, is that somehow going to get you an iPhone?