Technological Evolution: A Critique of Arthur's Theory

In David Harvey’s 17 Contradiction of Capitalism, he separates the chapters into three categories: Fundamental, moving, and dangerous. Chapter eight: Technology, Work and Human Disposability is categorized into the moving category because technology is constantly changing. Brian Arthur sees “new technologies as the building blocks for the creation of yet newer technologies” (page 95). In this way, over time, technology creates itself, from itself. Harvey argues against Arthur’s theory. Harvey proposed to look at new technologies as they are created mentally before they are made physically. New technological designs replace the old, and are better versions of what we already have. Harvey also argued against Arthurs claims because he did not

take into account that combinatorial evolution does play part in technology change. Change
“The central contradiction that Harvey explains in chapter eight is that if social labor is the ultimate source of value and profit, then replacing it with machines or robotic labor makes no sense” (Page 104). Corporations see laborsaving as fundamental when it really reduces the possibility of profit. As technology shifts, there is a significant impact on job availability. Making technology closely related to labor. “An economy that uses less labor, will distribute less wages” (page 104). Over time, the goal of new technologies was to control the labor process. Automation is the use of large equipment in a system of manufacturing or other production process. Two of the major consequences caused by automation is an “increasingly disposable population facing no employment opportunities and also the reproduction of capital itself” (page 122). Removing jobs, without a plan to compensate will result in disaster.