Future Technology

Arnold Kling

By Arnold Kling, Feb 12 2003

In reading The Next Fifty Years, a collection of essays edited by John Brockman of Edge.org, I was struck by the following quote from Rodney Brooks, director of MIT’s Artificial Intelligence laboratory.

Our thirty-year goal is to have such exquisite control over the genetics of living systems that instead of growing a tree, cutting it down, and building a table out of it, we will ultimately be able to grow the table.

This is an eloquent description of the role of knowledge in economic growth.

For Discussion. How would you explain to someone that knowledge-driven economic growth tends to alleviate resource constraints?

The Deficit Argument, IV

Arnold Kling

Hal Varian gives a clear account of the concern with long-term deficits. A recent study by the economists Alan J. Auerbach, William G. Gale, Peter R. Orszag and Samara R. Potter, "Budget Blues: The Fiscal Outlook and Options for Reform," lays out the facts... According to the economists' projections, the spending o...

Feb 12 2003

Growth: Consequences

Growth in Flour

Arnold Kling

Back in December, Virginia Postrel marveled at being able to buy a 5-pound bag of flour for 69 cents. In response, Brad DeLong on his weblog calculated the cumulative gain in productivity over the last 500 years, using flour as the unit of measurement. I used this as an opening anecdote in a talk that I recently gave...

Feb 12 2003

Books: Reviews and Suggested Readings

Future Technology

Arnold Kling

In reading The Next Fifty Years, a collection of essays edited by John Brockman of Edge.org, I was struck by the following quote from Rodney Brooks, director of MIT's Artificial Intelligence laboratory. Our thirty-year goal is to have such exquisite control over the genetics of living systems that instead of growing a...

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The Deficit Argument, IV

Growth in Flour

Future Technology