[ExI] War drives innovation

Tara Maya tara at taramayastales.com
Thu Oct 6 14:51:20 UTC 2011


You've put your finger on an interesting paradox. As a good Hobbesian, I believe that governments exist primarily for two purposes: to enable one small group of people to exploit a larger group of people and to enable that same small group of people to protect that same larger group of people from being exploited or destroyed in a presumably even more awful way by some other small group of people. An extortion racket, in other words, but not dispensable, since the threat of destruction without a government is very real.

However, the paradox is that for the past five hundred years (probably more) wars have always been won by the combatant with the strongest economy, and usually that has meant the freest economy. Liberal England vs centralized Napoleonic France, the capitalist democratic Allies vs. the National Socialists, etc. The technological and financial inventions that made the more liberal governments stronger did NOT come from the government, but in time of war, WERE put to good use by the government.

Tara Maya


On Oct 6, 2011, at 6:11 AM, BillK wrote:

> A Wired article has reminded me that it is governments & war that
> drives technological innovation.
> 
> <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/10/gadgets-the-pentagon-made/?pid=814&viewall=true>
> 
> Gadgets the Pentagon Made — From the Microwave to the New iPhone
>    * By Spencer Ackerman and Noah Shachtman    October 6, 2011
> -------------------
> 
> When you add in the huge wave of technology that came out of WWII, it
> is really obvious.
> 
> Sure, inventions are made by genius individuals, but they sre usually
> working for the government, or for organisations funded by government
> money.
> 'Markets' are just hobbyists tinkering at the edges in comparison,
> selling stuff the government invented for them.
> 
> 
> BillK
> 
> _______________________________________________
> extropy-chat mailing list
> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org
> http://lists.extropy.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/extropy-chat





More information about the extropy-chat mailing list