social-development-quantification
Ian Morris's approach to measuring human progress by quantifying social development and population growth over time.
1 chapter across 1 book
The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies (2014)Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee
Chapter 13 introduces the historical context of human progress, emphasizing the transformative impact of technology, particularly the Industrial Revolution powered by the steam engine, which dramatically accelerated social development and population growth. It frames the current era as the 'second machine age,' where digital technologies are revolutionizing mental power analogous to how steam power revolutionized physical power, setting the stage for profound societal changes. The authors reflect on their journey to understand these technological advances through research and direct engagement with innovators, concluding that while digital technologies have reached a new level of capability, they remain immature and evolving.