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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: The Philosopher who wrote (60826)	10/3/2002 5:07:54 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

Its not all about going physically faster. I would say the majority of our improvement in our standard of living is caused by other factors then our increase in transportation speed. Transportation improvements are important but they aren't bigger then all of the other factors. I suppose its possible that we have reached some technological plateau and that improvements from here will be much slower but I don't think it is likely. I maybe be wrong but I don't think this is pie in the sky thinking, or anything like the believing in the idea that the moon is made of green cheese. I also think that free markets will spread around the world. This may be optimistic but it isn't a crazy idea. Maybe the rate of technological and economic advancement since the industrial revolution is higher then our long term rate will be (long term in this case meaning at least over the next few thousand years), and maybe we will come down to a lower long term rate but I don't think we will come down to the almost zero per capita and very low total long term rates that existed up to at least the renaissance; but even if we do eventually that would still allow us to have enough resources to support say 20 billion people with several times more per capita wealth then currently exists in the US. It would just take perhaps tens of thousands of years rather then just a few hundred years. Do you think economic and technological progress are going to stop? Tim