- 01 Jun 2013 23:47
#14247008
So here's a question I posed to several friends...
Capitalism works through supply and demand, the balance between the producer and the consumer, and a host of other factors, including incentive and technology. Technology! Keep that word in mind.
Competition advances technological progress. And what has been the dominant method of doing things for as long as humans have been animals? Competition- we're animals, aren't we? We constantly compete for our own vanity. Capitalism is our expression of this competition. As since the Industrial Revolution, perhaps even the late Middle ages, technology has been increasing exponentially every century.
Conservative capitalists want you to believe that this method should be upheld until Jesus comes home. Hail Jesus. Whatever. What they don't think of is "where would capitalism logically lead us to?" Where has it already led us?
Simple. Look at the field of robotics. It has increased tremendously in recent years- for the longest time, robots were generally the same. It was only until the past few years- couple of years even- that enhanced levels of precise touch and human-like movement have been achieved in experiments. Soon, these may be the norm. No, these will be the norm.
Separately, but equally, important is the rise of the computers. Here, progress is very stinted as of currently, although some experimental means may get us past this. I say this because computers really haven't changed since the 1960s. They've just gotten faster. Nevertheless, they're still adding machines. They have no creativity.
Like I said- we may be changing this...
http://phys.org/news/2013-05-artificial ... poles.html
(and don't forget memristors)
At some point, progress will push us towards the Singularity- IN SOME FORM. The Technological Singularity, I'm sure is going to happen. After all, imagine us as scientists in 1813 trying to figure out how an MMORPG works. But the Capital Singularity may occur well before then- all that needs to happen is for machines to be able to outproduce humans, outwork humans, and most of all, outclass humans. Yeah, robots can build some good cars, but do you really want that industrial behemoth makin' you your McCheesyburgers?
The point is, at some point, machines will render humans obsolete. Robots wouldn't need to rest or need recreation. If they're advanced enough to be profitable, then they should be capable of self-repair. They don't complain- hopefully- and they don't ask for raises since they don't need to be paid. Hence this post----
Let's be very clear. The situation we are now facing is unprecedented in the history of the world. For the first time in human history, 99% of people are going to be redundant. Not just out of work, but redundant. Not needed any more.
Throughout history the Elites have always needed the masses, the plebs, the prols, the riff-raff, to do their work for them and produce the things that they - the Elite - need and want.
Now, for the first time ever, the Elite will no longer need the bulk of humanity.
Worse still, as long as these billions of people are allowed to go on living they will pose an ever-present threat to the Elite. As long as they are allowed to go on living there is the risk that they will rise up and overthrow the Rulers.
You don't need to be Einstein to see where this is going to end. It won't be pleasant.
We know from history that Rulers have no qualms whatever about the mass murder of “common” people. Over millennia we have records of Rulers who killed people en masse or simply allowed them to die.
Historically, however, Rulers were limited in their ability to wipe out swathes of humanity without repercussions. Hitherto, they needed all those trolls to do the work and fight the wars. Rulers who killed off too many minions were liable to be overthrown.
Now, for the first time ever, that constraint is about to be lifted. Is there anyone - anyone with any understanding of how Rulers think and act - who does not see how this is going to end?
There is nothing the mass of the people can do about it. They’re told they live in a “democracy” and that it’s government “of the people by the people for the people”, and that their “representatives” will protect their interests.
What garbage!!
The moment they no longer need the riffraff, the politicians and their influential buddies will have no qualms at all about “wasting” them.
How will this happen?
It probably won’t happen overtly with Rulers killing “their” own people. That would be likely to precipitate the very uprising the Rulers seek to avoid.
Historically, mass murder usually takes place in the context of wars between different Rulers. The masses will be sacrificed in the name of a “just war” against some other regime.
My guess is that sooner or later the baboons who rule in Washington and the baboons who rule in Beijing will want to have a showdown to see which monkey has the biggest dong. It’s what male homo sapiens do. They’re programmed by evolution. It’s inevitable.
And in that conflagration, which will probably be a nuclear war, the big baboons will sit in their shelters while the mass of people outside are killed by neutron bombs (which kill the people but not the machines) . . . all in the name of a “just war”.
When it’s all over, the Rulers will emerge, make up with one another, and enjoy an empty planet with all their needs provided by robots.
The Ruthless Will Inherit the Earth.
----
Dark.
But the point is, if it's more profitable to use machines to work for you, what use are humans? None! Unless you fancy hiring your nephew, losing out a couple hundred thousand bucks because quality declines and you fail to meet quotas that could easily have been met by the superhuman droids.
So what happens to the producer and consumer? The consumer base collapses. The proletariat and middle class are done. The workers can't work, the middle class is outdone, and that's it. People can't buy anymore. They can't earn money. They're nothing compared to the Machine Proletariat. Capitalism evolved into Postcapitalism.
What happens to the poor? That's up to the rich. I bet that, in some cases, massive welfare will be dished out. In others- as stated above...
Well, so what can be done to stop this? Simple. Destroy capitalism now. Otherwise, it's inevitable. The only way to stop this from happening would be to replace capitalism because technological growth is integral to capitalism. Stopping said growth stagnates capitalism and turns it into something else- in any attempt to preserve capitalism past any sort of Singularity, you only wind up destroying it.
So either way, capitalism is done for after a few more decades. Whether it becomes technological postcapitalism or something else has yet to be seen.
What happens after. *Sigh* Note word: SINGULARITY. I CAN'T KNOW. NO ONE KNOWS.
Good day.
http://classwarinamerica.wordpress.com/ ... italism-2/
Capitalism works through supply and demand, the balance between the producer and the consumer, and a host of other factors, including incentive and technology. Technology! Keep that word in mind.
Competition advances technological progress. And what has been the dominant method of doing things for as long as humans have been animals? Competition- we're animals, aren't we? We constantly compete for our own vanity. Capitalism is our expression of this competition. As since the Industrial Revolution, perhaps even the late Middle ages, technology has been increasing exponentially every century.
Conservative capitalists want you to believe that this method should be upheld until Jesus comes home. Hail Jesus. Whatever. What they don't think of is "where would capitalism logically lead us to?" Where has it already led us?
Simple. Look at the field of robotics. It has increased tremendously in recent years- for the longest time, robots were generally the same. It was only until the past few years- couple of years even- that enhanced levels of precise touch and human-like movement have been achieved in experiments. Soon, these may be the norm. No, these will be the norm.
Separately, but equally, important is the rise of the computers. Here, progress is very stinted as of currently, although some experimental means may get us past this. I say this because computers really haven't changed since the 1960s. They've just gotten faster. Nevertheless, they're still adding machines. They have no creativity.
Like I said- we may be changing this...
http://phys.org/news/2013-05-artificial ... poles.html
(and don't forget memristors)
At some point, progress will push us towards the Singularity- IN SOME FORM. The Technological Singularity, I'm sure is going to happen. After all, imagine us as scientists in 1813 trying to figure out how an MMORPG works. But the Capital Singularity may occur well before then- all that needs to happen is for machines to be able to outproduce humans, outwork humans, and most of all, outclass humans. Yeah, robots can build some good cars, but do you really want that industrial behemoth makin' you your McCheesyburgers?
The point is, at some point, machines will render humans obsolete. Robots wouldn't need to rest or need recreation. If they're advanced enough to be profitable, then they should be capable of self-repair. They don't complain- hopefully- and they don't ask for raises since they don't need to be paid. Hence this post----
Let's be very clear. The situation we are now facing is unprecedented in the history of the world. For the first time in human history, 99% of people are going to be redundant. Not just out of work, but redundant. Not needed any more.
Throughout history the Elites have always needed the masses, the plebs, the prols, the riff-raff, to do their work for them and produce the things that they - the Elite - need and want.
Now, for the first time ever, the Elite will no longer need the bulk of humanity.
Worse still, as long as these billions of people are allowed to go on living they will pose an ever-present threat to the Elite. As long as they are allowed to go on living there is the risk that they will rise up and overthrow the Rulers.
You don't need to be Einstein to see where this is going to end. It won't be pleasant.
We know from history that Rulers have no qualms whatever about the mass murder of “common” people. Over millennia we have records of Rulers who killed people en masse or simply allowed them to die.
Historically, however, Rulers were limited in their ability to wipe out swathes of humanity without repercussions. Hitherto, they needed all those trolls to do the work and fight the wars. Rulers who killed off too many minions were liable to be overthrown.
Now, for the first time ever, that constraint is about to be lifted. Is there anyone - anyone with any understanding of how Rulers think and act - who does not see how this is going to end?
There is nothing the mass of the people can do about it. They’re told they live in a “democracy” and that it’s government “of the people by the people for the people”, and that their “representatives” will protect their interests.
What garbage!!
The moment they no longer need the riffraff, the politicians and their influential buddies will have no qualms at all about “wasting” them.
How will this happen?
It probably won’t happen overtly with Rulers killing “their” own people. That would be likely to precipitate the very uprising the Rulers seek to avoid.
Historically, mass murder usually takes place in the context of wars between different Rulers. The masses will be sacrificed in the name of a “just war” against some other regime.
My guess is that sooner or later the baboons who rule in Washington and the baboons who rule in Beijing will want to have a showdown to see which monkey has the biggest dong. It’s what male homo sapiens do. They’re programmed by evolution. It’s inevitable.
And in that conflagration, which will probably be a nuclear war, the big baboons will sit in their shelters while the mass of people outside are killed by neutron bombs (which kill the people but not the machines) . . . all in the name of a “just war”.
When it’s all over, the Rulers will emerge, make up with one another, and enjoy an empty planet with all their needs provided by robots.
The Ruthless Will Inherit the Earth.
----
Dark.
But the point is, if it's more profitable to use machines to work for you, what use are humans? None! Unless you fancy hiring your nephew, losing out a couple hundred thousand bucks because quality declines and you fail to meet quotas that could easily have been met by the superhuman droids.
So what happens to the producer and consumer? The consumer base collapses. The proletariat and middle class are done. The workers can't work, the middle class is outdone, and that's it. People can't buy anymore. They can't earn money. They're nothing compared to the Machine Proletariat. Capitalism evolved into Postcapitalism.
What happens to the poor? That's up to the rich. I bet that, in some cases, massive welfare will be dished out. In others- as stated above...
Well, so what can be done to stop this? Simple. Destroy capitalism now. Otherwise, it's inevitable. The only way to stop this from happening would be to replace capitalism because technological growth is integral to capitalism. Stopping said growth stagnates capitalism and turns it into something else- in any attempt to preserve capitalism past any sort of Singularity, you only wind up destroying it.
So either way, capitalism is done for after a few more decades. Whether it becomes technological postcapitalism or something else has yet to be seen.
What happens after. *Sigh* Note word: SINGULARITY. I CAN'T KNOW. NO ONE KNOWS.
Good day.
http://classwarinamerica.wordpress.com/ ... italism-2/
"I think I'm normal. Just not your normal."