technocratic movement

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Technocracy_graph1.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technocracy_Incorporated

"The technocratic movement was a social movement in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s that advocated a form of society where the welfare of human beings is optimized by means of scientific analysis and widespread use of technology. Although the movement is not as well-known today, it still exists as Technocracy Incorporated, the members of which partake in discussion groups and publish quarterly magazines.

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Ideas and goals
The Technocratic movement aims to establish a zero growth socio-economic system based upon conservation and abundance as opposed to scarcity-based economic systems like capitalism and the system used by Communist states. A core conclusion reached by the Technocratic movement is that a price / market system, or any system based on scarcity, is an illogical means of distribution in our technologically advanced world. Technocracy sees established economic, political, and administrative forms as relics of a traditional past.


Trends of the price system with technologic escalation.Technocrats argue that developments in mechanization have caused a massive shift of employment towards the service sector.[citation needed] Further increases in efficiency and productivity mean that most of the tasks performed by human employees could be reduced or eliminated through better management, automation, and centralization. These trends should signal an increase in both production possibilities and leisure time since more can be produced with less human labor. Within a market system, however, increased productivity often leads to downsizing because companies need less workers and lower wages because of competition. Consequently, the standard of living falls for many. Thus, Technocrats argue that we are faced with a fundamental paradox: As inexpensive machines become available to replace human labor, they do not make our lives easier; on the contrary, they make them harder. The more we are capable of producing due to technology, the greater the disparities in wealth will become and the potential benefit of technology will be shared less. The basic cause of this problem, in the view of the Technocratic movement, is the fact that we rely on a money-based system to make economic decisions.

As opposed to economists, who define efficiency in terms of maximal allocation of limited resources, in order to provide the most utility to their owners, Technocrats define efficiency in terms of empirical evidence. Efficiency, for a Technocrat, is measured scientifically: a ratio of energy applied for useful work to energy applied in the complete system. Technocrats argue there exists a massive rift between the real world of science and the world of economics. They claim the inputs needed to make most products are in abundance, especially those critical to society's needs like food, shelter, transportation, information, etc. Technocrats argue that most social ills, such as poverty and hunger are due to faulty economics and improper use of technology. They frequently point out that the current price system is wasteful as it utilizes as many resources as possible but can only create scarce products (excludable and rival private goods). Technocrats argue that full use of our technology and resources should be able to produce an abundance.

Technocrats claim that the price system entails a severe lack of purchasing power, and has been propped up by wasteful tactics, major patches to the economic system, and increasingly huge amounts of debt, which began to increase exponentially after 1930.[citation needed] This debt includes the U.S. national debt, mortgages (see global debt), long term debt, credit debt, and the growing stock market. Technocrats see growing debt as a threat to the stability of capitalism. Technocrats claim that the price system will eventually fail, in which case the movement hopes to have educated enough of the populace in order to peaceably make changes to the economic structure and create a Technate.

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An alternative to money: Energy accounting
An energy credit is a hypothetical unit of currency used in a technate. Unlike traditional money, energy credits cannot be saved or earned, only distributed evenly among a populace. The amount of credit given to each citizen would be calculated by determining the total productive capacity of the technate and dividing it equally. The reason for the use of energy credits is to ensure equality among the Technate’s citizenry as well as prohibit spending that is beyond the productive capacity of the technocracy. This system is usually referred to as energy accounting.

Technocrats point out that energy accounting is not rationing; it is a way to distribute an abundance and track demand. Everyone would receive an equal, abundant (i.e. far more than they need), amount of energy credits. Technocrats predict that at today's rates of energy conversion, no person will rationally be able to spend all their energy credits.[citation needed]

See also: An article on Energy Accounting

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The North American Technate
The North American Technate is a design and plan to transform North America into a technocratic society after the collapse of capitalism. The plan includes using Canada's rich deposits of minerals and hydro-electric power as a complement to the United States's industrial and agricultural capacity.

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Originally posted by zeeblebot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Technocracy_graph1.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technocracy_Incorporated

"The technocratic movement was a social movement in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s that advocated a form of society where the welfare of human beings is optimized by means of scientific analysis and widespread use of technolog ...[text shortened]... ic power as a complement to the United States's industrial and agricultural capacity.

"

Wow, thanks for showing us. Seen any books about it?

Originally posted by zeeblebot
Technocrats argue there exists a massive rift between the real world of science and the world of economics. They claim the inputs needed to make most products are in abundance, especially those critical to society's needs like food, shelter, transportation, information, etc. Technocrats argue that most social ills, such as poverty and hunger are due to fau ...[text shortened]... ts argue that full use of our technology and resources should be able to produce an abundance.

Originally posted by kmax87
Sounds like a bunch of engo's.

I would love a world where you made something well, that worked brilliantly then you moved on and didnt have to keep updating it because the first one was a)crap. b) lasted up to 2 days till after the warranty ran out c)requires too much downtime to keep it running, but the new one, ah! there's the future!

It seems people ...[text shortened]... d, the ideas are great but Utopian, and you do know what that word means dont you - no place -

Originally posted by mrstabby
Wow, thanks for showing us. Seen any books about it?

Originally posted by mrstabby
...What are engos?😳....

Originally posted by zeeblebot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Technocracy_graph1.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technocracy_Incorporated

"The technocratic movement was a social movement in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s that advocated a form of society where the welfare of human beings is optimized by means of scientific analysis and widespread use of technolog ...[text shortened]... ic power as a complement to the United States's industrial and agricultural capacity.

"

thanks 🙂 ... the thing that pops to my mind when going over their beginner's page is that, contrary to the common wisdom, it seems to me that most of the inefficiency in the system is probably at the bottom, not the top.

like, i don't think they are going to get too far trying to increase medical coverage, without instituting either some kind of auto-doc system, or funding full scholarships for a lot more medical students (with required service on the other end).

Originally posted by zeeblebot
i don't think they are going to get too far trying to increase medical coverage, without instituting either some kind of auto-doc system, or funding full scholarships for a lot more medical students (with required service on the other end).

so why do people need escapism and rushes in the first place?

from boredom or from overwork?

when i'm overworked, i just want to rest after.

Originally posted by zeeblebot
so why do people need escapism and rushes in the first place?

from boredom or from overwork?

when i'm overworked, i just want to rest after.

Originally posted by mrstabby
I think both, and more. Neither boredom or being overworked is desirable. When you say overworked, do you mean (in broad terms) the night after or in the weekend after a week's overworking?
Maybe boredom is a factor that causes escapism; after a week's hard work, people feel the need to escape the boredom of the weekend (e.g. by binge drinking). One c ...[text shortened]... escapism to avoid the reality of society or their own inadequacies in fitting in with society.

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
I use escapism partially because I am having trouble getting a job. However I don't blame this on "the top" - it's a problem I need to work on (i.e. improve efficiency at "the bottom" which is closer to where I am now than "the top" ).

For a more interesting take on technocracy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anticipatory_democracy

Note: What you describe in your first post isn't technocracy per se, but just Technocracy, Inc. which actually was something I'd never heard about.