I remember talking with a friend some fifty years ago about the problems faced by India and the Indians. There had been some discussion in the newspapers about the hunger and the health of the people there. I mentioned that India was potentially a wealthy country with good soil and probably great mineral resources unexploited.
“What they need most,” I ventured, “Is the technology to farm economically and to dig for minerals. They need factories to manufacture their own machines.”
“But, don’t you see,” my friend replied, “That the very last thing India needs is more advanced technology.”
“Why so?” I asked.
“Because the one thing that India is undoubtedly rich in is people. By merely introducing more powerful technology, you will deprive the people of useful work to do.”
Also, his case was that the use of technology to increase the food supply would surely lead to an explosion in the population ; and even the new technology would be unable to satisfy the people’s needs. So, one way or another, powerful technology would lead to a growing number of unemployed people ; and that would lead to trouble. “Better,” he said, “To find more efficient ways of employing people to do the hard work.”
We discussed the matter to some length, and I had to admit that his arguments made good sense. I had to admit that my youthful enthusiasm for clever machinery began to wane a little at that moment. I came to realize that technology is not an unalloyed benefit to civilised people. A country where a large proportion of the people are effectively paid to be unemployed, while machines do the work, is heading for trouble. The Devil really does make work for idle hands. And there would be all kinds of unintended consequences.
Over the years I have also come to realize that the technology problem is not just India’s ; it applies to many developing countries. And it doesn’t just apply to developing countries, it also applies to us. How many unemployed and under-educated young men and women do we have? How many of the jobs, that they might be doing, have been made redundant by technology? Does the Devil find work for at least some of those idle hands? (metaphorically speaking, of course).
So, when we look for idle hands seeking something to do, we do not have to confine our gaze to places like Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Bahrain ; we could look farther afield. And we could even look under our own noses.
Jamie
If I were to write a letter to a friend or even a Blog on the same topic I would start my Opening paragraph with:
“About fifty years ago two wise men, one from the United Kingdom and the other from India, got to discuss the increased development of technology.”
I would then end my story with:
“Alas, nobody heeded their advice and that is why we have a world today with a few rich people getting richer by the day and the masses of the poor getting poorer every day. If somebody had only listened to these two wise men ….”
It’s a beautiful Post. Do some more.
Good morning Ike,
You are far too kind in your description of these two friends! But perhaps you had some others in mind. Of course, their advice to the Republic of India was never in the least likely to be heeded, if only because it asks too much of human nature, which always seeks the easy way out of a dilemma.
I also bear in mind that we cannot do without technology ; but I remember also that, once human beings have discovered a good idea, they then proceed to work it to death. Thus it is that good and useful technology is invariably followed by inventions that are merely clever rather than necessary.
Hello Jamie, I really enjoyed this blog and many thanks to Ike for bringing it to my attention.
Hello Cheech, it’s good to see you. I’m glad you enjoyed my scribbling – and thanks for saying so.
I loved this post!
That’s a very interesting dilemma, but I strongly disagree with that solution that said: “Better to find more efficient ways of employing people to do the hard work.”
I think it is better to find more efficient ways of decreasing population densities and future growth, tha’ts simply the best way of preventing massive unemployment rates anywhere in the world, but this is only achievable by allowing the entrance of high level technology, of course technolgy that is scoped to reduce population densities, improve comunications at larger distances and to control reproduction.
I would stick to that youthful enthusiasm for clever machinery!