Reply #75: ER...you can't JUST say "The Knowledge Age is light-years over and above the Industrial Age" [View All]

[Ken Burch]

You have to actually provide some evidence of why that is and what that means. You've done nothing of the sort in this exchange.

The Industrial Age was an improvement for some, but it also led to massive social and economic dislocation for others and led to them being ground into the dirt of history in the transition. Most of those who were losers in this were not inherently unworthy of survival, it was just that someone above decided they were expendable.

People continued to be expendable throughout the Industrial Age, which is why the labor movement and the political Left grew throughout that time.

And people will continue to be labeled expendable in the Knowledge Age, which is there will continue to be a need, as that age develops, to protect people from simply being cast aside. This will require collective organization in some form.

You're view here is really extreme Utilitarianism. Unfortunately, the era we've been in since 1980(of which the Knowledge Age is an integral part)has actually produced a mutant form of Utilitarianism, one that would make Jeremy Bentham cringe. Utilitarianism at least USED to mean "The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number". That is, while some would suffer, many, many more would prosper. Knowledge Age Utilitarianism means "The Greatest Good for the Few who have somehow grabbed dominance".

I'm all for human advancement, but it has to be done without deciding that some people should just be cast aside. At this point, the Knowledge Age, left to its own devices, is showing no signs of inclusiveness or of egalitarian values. I'd be happy to see it evolve such values, but there's nothing going on as of now that indicates that's going to happen.

There's something weirdly religious about how the "Knowledge Age" concept appears to resonate with you. For you, it seems to have erased all doubt and answered all possible questions. The thing is, it's never good to give ANY value system or any philosophy that kind of unquestioning mindless acceptance. The unexamined life can delete all your files, my friend.