alt Hacker NewsI always liked the definition of technology as "doing more with less". 100 oxen replaced by 1 gallon of diesel, etc.
That it costs more does suggest it's "doing more with more", at least.
I always liked the definition of technology as "doing more with less". 100 oxen replaced by 1 gallon of diesel, etc.
That it costs more does suggest it's "doing more with more", at least.
Good luck with reproducing and eating diesel like can be done with oxen and related species.
Humanity won't be able to tap into this highly compressed energy stock that was generated through processes taking literally geological scales time to bed achieved.
That is, technology is more about what alternative tradeoffs can we leverage on to organize differently with resources at hand.
Frugality can definitely be a possible way to shape the technologies we want to deploy. But it's not all possible technologies, just a subset.
Also better technology is not necessarily bringing societies to morale and well-being excellency. Improving technology for efficient genocides for example is going to bring human disaster as obvious outcome, even if it's done in a manner that is the most green, zero-carbon emissions and growing more forests delivered beyond expectations of the specifications.