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28,320 word QUESTIONS & ANSWERS file.
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Table of Contents
1.0
Introduction
1.1 About this questions and answers file.
1.2 How to use this Questions and Answer file.
Press the key combination control+F then type the number at the left. Press
enter until you see the question and answer.
1.3 Where to find this Questions and Answers file.
1.4 General Disclaimer
* * *
2.0 Introduction to Technocracy
2.1 What is Technocracy?
2.2 What is Technocracy Inc.?
2.3 Is Technocracy a political party?
2.4 What is different about this plan?
2.5 What are Technocracy's conclusions?
2.6 What is it that makes Technocracy's conclusions important?
or
2.6 Why should I care?
2.7 Why does Technocracy say that its message is more important/valid than that
of other groups?
2.8 What ways are there to learn about Technocracy?/How much time will it take
me?
2.9 What good will learning about Technocracy do?/How will it benefit me?
* * *
3.0 History of Technocracy
3.1 How did the whole thing start?
3.2 Who was Howard Scott?
3.3 Who were the other people involved in the Technical Alliance?
3.4 Why did the Technical Alliance dissolve?
3.5 How did people respond to Technocracy's claims?
3.6 What were Technocracy's activities at the time?
3.7 How did government and business respond?
3.8 Why did society recover from the Great Depression?
3.9 How did this affect Technocracy?
3.10 What is the status of the organization today?
* * *
4.0 * Technocracy's Analysis *
4.1 On what scientific principles is Technocracy based?
4.2 What did the Technical Alliance discover about the trends facing the
economy?
4.3 What is the "Three Curve Chart" that Technocrats keep mentioning?
4.4 What is a "Price System?"
4.5 Does Technocracy envisage the collapse of the Price System in the near
future?
4.6 What are the overall implications of this analysis?
* * *
5.0 Technocracy the Design
5.1 Introduction
5.1.1 Briefly, what does Technocracy propose to substitute for a Price System?
5.1.2 Is Technocracy a socialist or democratic system?
5.1.3 What are the requirements for a High Energy Society?
5.1.4 What would be the benefits of the design Technocracy proposes over our
current system?
5.2 Organization
5.2.1 How did the Technocrats come by this design for organization?
5.2.2 What is Technocracy's proposed organization for society?
5.2.3 What is a Functional Sequence?
5.2.4 What are the Special Sequences?
a) Continental Research
b) Social Relations
c) Armed Forces
d) Foreign Relations
e) Area Controls
5.2.5 How are positions attained in this organization?
5.2.6 What geographical area would the Technocratic society cover?
5.2.7 What are Regional Divisions?
5.2.8 Why is the design limited to only North America? Is this not selfish?
5.2.9 Could either Canada or the United States operate a Technate without the
other?
5.3 Distribution.
5.3.1 What sort of mechanism of Distribution would be required by a High Energy
Society?
5.3.2 What is the difference between a method of Distribution, and a method of
Exchange?
5.3.3 What is Energy Accounting?
5.3.4 How would I purchase things? (dr)
5.3.5 Is Technocracy proposing that everyone receive the same income?
5.3.6 Would the government produce everything for it's people?
5.4 Design and Operating Characteristics
5.4.1 What methods does Technocracy plan to employ to achieve
abundance and security?
5.4.2 What is Load Factor?
5.4.3 Why is Load Factor control important?
5.4.4 How does the Quality of Products affect the design?
5.4.5 Does Technocracy plan to change the calendar?
5.4.6 How does the new calendar benefit us?
5.4.7 How can standardization benefit us?
5.4.8 What would be done with the people whose present jobs, like banking,
would cease to exist in a Technate?
5.5 Specific Design Characteristics
5.5.1 How can Transportation be improved?
5.5.2 What are some of the other benefits of this change?
5.5.3 How might Communications be handled?
5.5.4 How could agriculture be improved?
5.5.5 How could housing be improved?
5.5.6 What is an "Urbanate?"
5.5.7 It seems pretty far fetched to rebuild so much, is this really feasible?
* * *
6.0 Common Concerns
6.1 What are you going to do with the people that are not interested in
Technocracy?
6.2 Is not Technocracy very similar to Socialism or Communism?
6.3 What do Technocrats mean by Social Change? Their use of the term seems to
differ from that of the popular understanding.
6.4 What is your symbol called? What is its significance? Would it, with a gray
field, be the flag of the Technate?
6.5 What can we do to stop the terrible waste of our natural resources and
still keep the Price System going?
6.6 Would Technocracy put an end to all private ownership?
6.7 How would a Technate conduct its international affairs?
6.8 In travel abroad, what would be used for money?
6.9 How would we secure the goods that could not be produced in this
continental area from other countries?
6.10 What about items that cannot be mass produced, like antiques, and some
artwork? How would these be handled?
6.11 Would there be a police department in a Technate?
6.12 Could not a Technate easily become a police state?
6.13 How will education be handled in a Technate?
6.14 How do the Technocrats propose to come to power?
6.15 Does Technocracy have a specific plan to implement when and if the Price
System finally breaks down?
6.16 How will Technocracy change human nature so as to make the system work?
6.17 Is there room for only engineers in the Technocratic organization?
6.18 What would we do with our leisure time?
6.19 If machines are doing all the work, what will people do with themselves?
6.20 Is there a place for culture in your proposed type of society?
6.21 Would a Technate feed and clothe the hungry and needy in the rest of the
world?
6.22 What would be the status of women in Technocracy?
6.23 What will become of children and the home in Technocracy?
6.24 Will there be divorce in a Technate?
6.25 How would the Technate solve the serious problem of drug trafficking?
6.26 How will serious offences be handled? Will there be capital punishment?
6.27 In a Technate will there be large cities like New York with its teeming
millions, or will there be smaller self-sufficient units?
6.28 What is the greatest obstacle to the advent of Technocracy?
6.29 How would Technocracy solve the race problem?
6.30 What might the level of income be in the planned Technate?
6.31 What would be the goals of individuals in a Technate?
6.32 People are not created equal. This being the case, what would a Technate
do about such things as personal drive, motivation, and initiative? How would
it reward people materially for outstanding effort and achievements?
6.33 Can you describe specifically how a Technate would operate?
6.34 Would there be special consideration given to people working in dangerous
or unpleasant occupations?
6.35 If a citizen found that he/she didn't like living in a Technate, would
he/she be allowed to leave it for some other part of the world?
6.36 It seems that people would have considerable time to themselves in a
Technate, and yet many don't know what to do with the much less free time they
have now. Would any provisions be made to help people make satisfactory use of
their free time?
6.37 How would Technocracy handle communications, and what media would be used?
6.38 Would the North American Technate isolate itself from the rest of the
world?
6.39 Does Technocracy use democratic methods?
6.40 Will Technocracy take political action?
6.41 What would become of political government in Technocracy?
6.42 What checks would there be against the abuse of power?
6.43 What is Technocracy's proposal for operating during a crisis or transition
period?
6.44 What about the individual that refuses to work?
6.45 What is Technocracy's attitude toward religion and the church?
6.46 What is Technocracy's attitude toward immigration?
6.47 Technocracy thinks only of science and technology. Why not also think of
living better?
6.48 Is there such thing as optimum-size population?
6.49 We live in a finite world. If we expand our technology to create the
abundance of which Technocracy speaks, will this not hasten the end of our
finite resources?
6.50 It sounds as though you're up against a pretty big re-educational project.
How are you going to do it?
6.51 What do you mean by load factor?
6.52 What will Technocracy do about the buildup of carbon dioxide, the so
called "greenhouse effect" and the depletion of the ozone in the
stratosphere? What about the poisons in our food and our environment? What
about the loss of arable land due to erosion?
6.53 It has been said that physical considerations make Technocracy inevitable.
Is this a correct statement?
6.54 Why would the people at the top of our society ever `allow' the usage of
this plan? (dr)
6.55 Why haven't you been able to get people to think along the lines of
Technocracy?(TD98-1)
6.56 How "secure" would we be in a Technate? Secure from
what?(TD98-1)
6.57 What would happen in a Technate to all the charitable organizations which
help the poor?(TD98-1)
6.58 How could crime be solved in a Technate? (TD98-1)
6.59 What about "white-collar" crime? (TD98-1)
6.60 How long will fuels, like oil and gas, last?(TD98-1)
6.61 What would Technocracy do about Labor Unions?(TD98-1)
* * *
7.0 Learning more about Technocracy
7.1 Are there books on Technocracy? What and where are they?
7.2 What internet resources are there for researching Technocracy?
7.3 If I surf the web and find pages using the word technocracy, which (if any)
are part of this?(dr)
7.4 Do you hold lectures, classes, or meetings?
7.5 How can I contact Technocracy?
* * *
8.0 Membership in Technocracy
8.1 Who should become a member of Technocracy?
8.2 What are the requirements of membership in Technocracy?
8.3 What are the obligations of membership?
1.1 About this Questions and Answers file
1.1.1 Note:
This is my personal copy. While placing hypertext codes in this file I did
alter some text of the file I received from Bill D. As I was quite pleased with
the original file my changes were few and trivial. Bear in mind that the scientist founders are long gone, so the
answers herein are speculation by those of the membership of Technocracy Inc.
who have studied their work.
--
DFR
1.2 How to
use this Questions and Answers file
This file is divided into two primary sections. The first may be considered a
table of contents and contains all the "Questions" that you may have
regarding Technocracy. The second portion contains both questions and answers.
There are two ways to use this Questions and Answers file. The first way is to
simply sit down and read the entire file through. The first five sections are
organized to serve as a sort of miniature study course. Section 6 has, at this
time, no organization as it contains miscellaneous information that did not fit
easily in the first five sections, or were left out for the purpose of
expediency. The second method is to peruse the Table of Contents for the
questions you have and then refer to the corresponding question number in the
main body of the text. This is a good idea if you already know something of
Technocracy, or only have very little time to study it. You can, of course,
combine the two methods however you wish. If you do not find the questions you
have in this Questions and Answers file, or find the answers unsatisfactory,
you may refer to section 7 to obtain more information about Technocracy, or
contact Technocracy Inc. and/or it's members. You may also submit your
questions for addition to future Questions and Answers file versions to the
webmaster of the web site that will serve as the home of this Questions and
Answers file, discussed in the next question.
1.3 Where do
I find this Questions and Answers file?
The internet is the only public place to obtain the Questions and Answers file.
1.4 General
Disclaimer
These are not the words of the scientist founders, which are found only in the
22 lesson grey book. During the past 76 years thousands upon thousands of
people have studied the work of the scientist founders these are the answers of
the serious seekers who came into Technocracy Inc. as members later on.
It should be noted that wherever definite projected figures are given (such as working 16 hour per week), that these numbers were derived during the 1920s and used the appropriate variables at that time. Obviously both technology and the population have increased since then, so you may want to go onto the internet and have the search engines provide you with updated figures.However, the essential approach of Technocracy still applies. These projected numbers are merely details that will be determined by the people who eventually install a Technate. If you still wish to know what these figures might be today, you may assume that advancing technological trends will make the amount of work needed smaller, and the quality and standard of living will have increased. Any further explanation requires understanding of the following material.
2.0 Introduction to Technocracy
2.1 What is
Technocracy?
Briefly, Technocracy is science applied to the social order. Science concerns itself
with the determination of the most probable in any field of knowledge, be it
chemistry, engineering or social phenomena. Technocracy, then, concerns itself
with the determination of the most probable in the field of social science --
the determination of the most probable state of society. It has to do primarily
with that part of the social mechanism relating to the production and
distribution of goods and services, but it has many far-reaching implications.
2.2 What is
Technocracy Inc.?
Technocracy Inc. is a non-profit membership organization incorporated under the
laws of the State of
2.3 Is
Technocracy a political party?
No, it is not. Technocracy's sole reason for being is to promote its social
program for institution when the Price System can no longer operate in
To run candidates for political office to advocate adoption of the program would quickly defeat the organization's whole purpose, for they would be unable to introduce any of the program's features on a local basis because of the Continental scope of the program. Technocracy, by remaining entirely free from political entanglements, can promote its social program at the continental level without being restricted by the national or local boundaries of political considerations.
Technocracy will consider a referendum calling for the acceptance or rejection of Technocracy's proposals. It is highly improbable that the program would be rejected in the face of badly deteriorated social circumstances that would likely prevail at the time of such referendum.
2.4 What is
different about this plan?
Most people are aware that so far all attempts to repair the current social
system have ended in failure or worse. This is not a presentation of how to
`fix the system.' This plan offers achievable technological solutions to our
social problems via replacement of the social system, since our problems are
due to the impact of technology upon a 7,000 year old social system. The
solutions must be technological ones, compatible with the modern age in which
we live.
2.5 What are
the conclusions of Technocracy?
There are three basic conclusions. The first is that there exists on the North
American Continent a physical potential in resources to produce a high standard
of goods and services for all citizens, and that the high-speed technology for
converting these resources to use-forms in sufficient volume is already
installed, and that the skilled personnel for operating it are present and
available. Yet we have unprecedented insecurity, extensive poverty and rampant
crime.
The second conclusion of Technocracy is that the Price System can no longer function adequately as a method of production and distribution of goods. The invention of power machinery has made it possible to produce a plethora of goods with a relatively small amount of human labor. As machines displace men and women, however, purchasing power is destroyed, for if people cannot work for wages and salaries, they cannot buy goods. We find ourselves, then, in this paradoxical situation: the more we produce, the less we are able to consume.
The final basic conclusion is that a new distributive system must be instituted that is designed to satisfy the special needs of an environment of technological adequacy, and that this system must not in any way be associated with the extent of an individual's functional contribution to society.
2.6 What is
it that makes Technocracy's conclusions important? / Why should I care?
It should be remembered that Technocracy is strictly a research and education organization,
and not out to promote its program for its own gain as all corporations and
politicians need to be. Being a research organization, it has used soundly
scientific methods to determine its conclusions. Since these conclusions are
based in science, they are verifiable, and indeed have been. It can be shown as
well that the vast majority of predictions made by Technocracy as early as the
1930's have come true, both in terms of technological and societal trends. What
Technocracy has discovered in the course of it's research is of great
importance to every citizen of
2.7 Why does
Technocracy say that its message is more important/valid than that of other
groups?
There are two reasons for this. First and foremost is that Technocracy is a
non-profit, non-political research organization. It's research, concepts, and
conclusions are all based on a purely scientific basis. The facts presented by
Technocracy are verifiable by virtually anyone that so desires. They are not
based in any way on political theory, philosophy, theology, or personal
opinion. For this reason alone Technocracy should be investigated by any
serious citizen of North America. It is also not influenced or motivated by any
other organization, person, or financial interest. The second is Technocracy's
unique approach. Technocracy's body of research encompasses virtually all
branches of science, and nearly every aspect of social operation. This does not
imply that Technocracy advocates total dictatorial control over citizens; on
the contrary, Technocracy's program advocates the control of technology, not
people. Many humanitarian groups, charities, and research organizations focus
on one or two areas of particular interest to its members. Technocracy,
interested in the impact that all technology has on all people, embraces a
complete, multi-disciplinary, continent-wide body of thought. Only by looking
at the entire picture, and how all the parts work together, can one possibly
begin to understand how our society works, how our problems came about, and
what can be done to solve them.
2.8 What ways are there to learn about Technocracy?
The reorganizing of an entire continent is not something that can be understood by casual reading. Technocracy uses the seminar method. Students meet at a Technocracy hall or someones home and take turns reading aloud from the hard cover Grey book while everyone else reads along silently. At times there is some discussion and or comments by members. The meetings usually end with some refreshments. This Project Graybook CD is a proto-type for an on line study course.
For additional reading you can visit the web sites listed in #20 of the FAQ file.
2.9 What
good will learning about Technocracy do? / How will it benefit me?
Technocracy is not a get-rich-quick scheme, nor is it a path to political
power. It does however benefit you in two rather dramatic ways. The first will
be a comprehensive understanding of how North American society operates in
terms economists and philosophers can't offer. By understanding the
relationship between technology and society you will be able to assess how
technology benefits you, as well as how it harms you. You will become aware of
the real reason why technology is having such a negative impact on our society
and environment. In fact, you will probably be surprised to learn how many of
our problems stem from the misuse of technology. The second way Technocracy
will benefit you will only occur should enough citizens become aware of their
real situation and as a result demand a change of it. This will accomplish two
things: 1) It will prevent further instability that our current Price System
causes as well as all the disastrous results that come with it, and 2) It will
provide you with a society in which you will never again have to worry about
things like poverty, crime, hunger, debt, homelessness, unemployment, lack of
education or health care, or insufficient income and time with which to realize
your dreams. For a better understanding of the benefits of a Technocratic
society, please refer to question 5.1.4. To better understand why Technocracy knows
these things to be possible, read the rest of this Questions and Answers file.
3.0
History of Technocracy Inc.
3.1 How did the whole thing start?
Technocracy Inc. had its inception in 1919 in New York City in an organization
known as the Technical Alliance of North America. This group included in its
ranks such people as Thorstein Veblen, a distinguished educator in the field of
social science, sometimes called the "stormy petrel of American
economics;" Charles Steinmetz of the General Electric Company, often
referred to as "the wizard of Schenectady;" consulting engineer and
mathematician, Bassett Jones; physics professor, Richard Tolman; consulting
architect, Frederick L. Ackerman; and Stuart Chase, popular economist and
author. Heading the group as chief engineer was Howard Scott, outstanding
consulting and industrial engineer. The primary aim of the Technical Alliance
was to ascertain the possibility of applying the achievements of science to
social and industrial affairs. With this in mind, they set about to make a
survey of the energy and natural resources of the North American Continent --
all the territory included between the Panama Canal and the North Pole. In
addition, they studied the industrial evolution that had taken place therein.
They showed graphically the operating characteristics of the present industrial
system with all its waste and inefficiency and worked out a tentative design of
a completely coordinated system of production and distribution. Of course they
always kept in mind their aim, which was to provide a better standard of living
for the people living on the continental area with the least possible waste of
non-renewable resources. After nearly 14 years of research, analysis and
synthesis, the Alliance's work, as such, was nearing completion when an
enterprising newspaper reporter heard that something of more than usual
interest was taking place at Columbia University. He spilled the story somewhat
prematurely to his New York daily that gave it banner-line front-page coverage;
and from there it spread rapidly across the Continent, receiving front-page
headlines in all major newspapers. Unfortunately, much of the information
contained in these newspaper stories was incorrect and misleading, so it was
apparent to the members of the Technical Alliance that the publicity measures
they had planned for their findings would have to be implemented immediately
rather than at the later date they had originally intended. These measures
involved the disbandment of the purely research-oriented Technical Alliance and
the formation of a new organization that would continue this important research
and would also conduct a program of education to correctly inform North Americans
of the findings and conclusions of the original group. The new organization
would be called Technocracy Incorporated, the initial word being derived from
Greek language roots to convey the overall concept of government by science. In
the spring of 1933, the organization was incorporated under the laws of the
State of New York as a non-sectarian, educational-research membership
organization. The training of public speakers and the formation of study
classes on a Continental scale quickly followed.
3.2 Who was
Howard Scott?
Howard Scott was the Chief Engineer and Executive Director of the Technical
Alliance, and later founded the organization that followed, Technocracy Inc.
Howard Scott was born in West Virginia on the 1st of April, 1890, the only
child of a 19th century American logging baron. He was a child prodigy who read
(and understood) evolutionary biology by the time he was four years old. As
well as a prodigious intellect, he had a marvelous physique, and by the time he
attended the state university in West Virginia, his six foot frame made him as
adept at football as engineering. He kicked the longest punt in the
university's history, and to his chagrin was more hailed for that feat than his
academic record. His father's untimely death cut short his university
education, and he became a practicing engineer. The predominant intellectual
influence on Scott was J. Willard Gibbs (1839 - 1903), the Yale Professor of
Mathematical Physics. Although he never had the opportunity to meet Gibbs, he
did get to know most of Gibbs' students. He read all of Gibbs work, and
mastered the innovative mathematical technique that Gibbs pioneered to
represent the thermodynamics of phase changes in physical chemistry, namely
linear vector analysis. Scott has the cognitive capacity to mentally calculate
linear vector analysis with six factors, an ability that made him one in a
billion. The life's work that he set for himself was to develop "a science
of geomechanics, for the operation of large areas of the earth's surface both
beneath and above". With the use of linear vector analysis, he developed
The Mathematical Theory of Energy Determinants as a tool to describe the entire
industrial ecology of the North American continent. To earn an income he worked
as a consulting engineer on New York State high-voltage transmission research,
and as a construction technologist on the Muscle Shoals Power Plant on the
Tennessee River, etc.
3.3 Who were
the other people involved in the Technical Alliance?
Frederick L. Ackerman (1878-1950) was a well-known architect. He designed the Administration
Building of Cornell University at Ithaca, New York, his alma mater. During
World War I, he was Chief of the Housing & Town Planning Design Division of
the U.S. Shipping Board; later a consultant for the New York City Housing
Authority; Fellow of the American Institute of Architects; member of the
American Institute of Planners; lecturer on architecture for Cornell
University, Columbia University; member of New York State Board for
Registration of Architects. Dr. Carl L. Alsberg, Biochemist (1877-1940): Chief,
Bureau of Chemistry, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Director, Stanford Food
Research Institute; Dean of Graduate Study, Stanford University. Allen
Carpenter was a prominent doctor practicing in New York City. Louis K.
Comstock, Electrical Engineer ( - 1964): A member of the War Industries Board
in World War I; Chairman of the Board of Review of the War Production Board in
World War II; head of L.K. Comstock Company, New York Electrical Contractors,
that had responsibility for planning and coordinating the wiring and lighting
for the 1939 New York World's Fair. Stuart Chase, CPA (1888-1985): Author of
many books on the importance of industry and technology in America; also books
on the semantics of language. Dr. Alice Barrows Fernandez (1879-1944) was
Deputy Director of United States Department of Education in Washington D.C.
Bassett Jones, Mathematical Technologist (1877-1960): Planned the installation,
operation, and timing sequence for the 73 elevators (and their 1,515 miles of
wire cables) in what was to be the world's highest building--the Empire State
Building--elevators capable of moving 15,000 people vertically up its 102 story
stops during a 30-minute morning period, and 15,000 people down during the
afternoon 30-minute rush hour. Sullivan W. Jones, Architect (1878-1955):
Secretary of the Technical Alliance; became State Architect of the State of New
York; designed the State Office Building in Albany. During World War II, he was
Chief of Housing for the War Production Board; in 1946 he was consultant on
veterans' hospitals for the Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army. Robert H. Kohn,
Architect (1870-1953) was president of the American Institute of Architects.
Benton Mackaye, Forester-Naturalist (1879-1975) originally was in the
Department of Forestry of the United States and he worked for a time in the
office of the Technical Alliance. He later formulated and promoted and was the
father of the Appalachian Trail. Leland Olds, Statistician (1890-1960):
Director of research for the American Federation of Labor; assistant to the
chairman, then executive secretary of the New York State Power Authority;
Chairman of the U.S. Federal Power Commission; Vice Chairman of the National
Power Policy Committee; member, President's Water Resources Policy Commission;
Chairman, U.S. St. Lawrence Advisory Committee until the St. Lawrence Seaway
and Hydroelectric project was completed, which was, as Senator John F. Kennedy
pointed out, "... a permanent memorial to him... He had the vision and the
energy to establish the foundation for the giant power system that will soon be
serving America." Charles Proteus Steinmetz, Electrical Engineer
(1865-1923): Known as the ``Wizard of General Electric'', he created and
controlled lightning--artificial yet with the same flashing crash and
destructiveness as Nature's lightning--so he could devise electrical equipment
to more effectively withstand uncontrollable natural lightning. During his
career, his inventions won him more than 200 patents, creating practical
solutions to the enigmatic problems of
magnetism and alternating current; his work became the springboard for much of the vast electrical industry used today. There was no way to mass-produce electric motors or generators and no practical way to transmit electric energy more than three miles...until Steinmetz discovered the laws of hysteresis in 1892 when he was 28. He read a paper on it before the American Institute of Electrical Engineers...in 1901-2 they chose him as their president. When giving him an honorary degree, President Charles W. Eliot of Harvard University, said: ``I confer this degree upon you as the foremost electrical engineer in the United States, therefore in the world.'' Dr. Richard C. Tolman, Physical Chemist (1881-1948): Taught at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, University of Cincinnati, University of Illinois; Director of the Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory; Professor of Physical Chemistry and Mathematical Physics and Dean of Graduate School, California Institute of Technology. During World War II, appointed to the National Defense Research Committee; when President Roosevelt named Vannevar Bush as Chairman, the other members of the Committee chose Tolman as Vice Chairman; member, National Academy of Sciences; Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences; author, Statistical Mechanics with Applications to Physics and Chemistry. John Carol Vaughan, Surgeon (1875-1940): Chief of Vanderbilt Clinic; instructor in surgery at College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University; Director, Bellevue Hospital; Chairman, American Birth Control Society; Medical Director, Workers Health Bureau; Fellow, American College of Surgeons; author, Textbook on Minor Surgery. Thorstein Veblen, Educator and Author (1857-1929): Taught Economics and Finance at Cornell University; Political Economy at University of Chicago; Economics at Leland Stanford University and New School for Social Research. Managing Editor, ``Journal of Political Economy.'' In his classes and textbooks, exposed and analyzed the ``conspicuous consumption'' of cultural waste and the technical inefficiency inculcated by economics' deliberate obsolescence of products as well as interference-control of education. Author of Theory of the Leisure Class, Theory of Business Enterprise, Instinct of Workmanship, Higher Learning in America, Vested Interests and the Common Man, and others. Charles H. Whitaker, Architect (1872-1938): Editor, "Journal of the American Institute of Architects"; Director of the Regional Planning Association of America.
3.4 Why did
the Technical Alliance dissolve?
After the Technical Alliance completed its 'Energy Survey of North America', it
found that the importance of its research was great enough that the public must
be informed. Since the Technical Alliance was a purely research organization, a
new one needed to be formed that could carry out a mandate to educate the
public about its findings. This became even more important when it became
evident that the media wished to be involved yet would not necessarily give
accurate accounts of the Alliance or its research. Thus, in 1933 Technocracy
was incorporated under the laws of the state of New York as a non-profit,
non-political, non-sectarian research and educational organization.
3.5 How did
people respond to Technocracy's claims?
The concept of Technocracy hit the public press in the depths of the Great
Depression in 1933, and seemed to touch a deep response that characterizes
North Americans - an interest and a faith in science and technology. There were
several other concepts before the public at that time: the Townsend Plan,
Father Couglan's Social Justice, Keyne's Deficit Spending, the Canadian
Commonwealth Federation (later the New Democrats), Major Douglas' Social
Credit, etc. For a while Technocracy's idea outshone all others. But soon
business interests realized that Technocracy was not in their best interest,
since it would put an end to all business and politics. Press coverage died out
- the honeymoon was over. That meant that Howard Scott had to take his message
directly to the people, which he did with several continental speaking tours.
3.6 What
were Technocracy's activities at the time?
The Technocracy Speaker Tours were done on shoe-string financing. At each stop
interested contacts would make a collection of money to get the speaker to the
next stop. A local group of interested persons would put on a public meeting
and listeners would sign up as members and start a group. Sometimes the
response from the public was quite substantial and a Section would be formed.
At that time there was no published Study Course. There was some literature
including the official magazine "Technocracy". Howard Scott
consistently astonished and amazed anyone he talked to, whether it was
students, businessmen, engineers, doctors, or labor groups. Later on, the
official Technocracy Study Course was published, and study groups sprang up
almost everywhere. To this day it is still the best and most thorough way to
learn about Technocracy's conclusions and design. Lectures and talks were given
at public halls, schools, universities, and over the radio. More magazines
began to be published, often by individual Sections. All of these activities,
it is important to note, were made possible by the work and financial donations
of volunteers and members of Technocracy.
3.7 How did
government and business respond?
In the 1930's there was no organized opposition and certainly no official
support from government or business. It seemed to be a period of indifference.
Later on, as they began to realize that Technocracy foresaw the collapse of the
financial and political power base of America, the media's glowing reports on
Technocracy began to wane. Today, it is rare to find references to Technocracy
in historical literature, economic publications, or even in school and
university textbooks. Newspapers often blatantly ignore any article or letter
to the editor that contains the word "Technocracy". It is no wonder
then, many people today have nor heard the word.
3.8 Why did
society recover from the Great Depression?
The Great Depression was a result of technology's impact on a largely
unregulated market. The government and business had to do something to survive,
and since the establishment of a Technate would have put these people out of
power, it was not considered an option. Instead, any methods by which the Price
System could be saved needed to be implemented. Again, things were looked at in
Price system terms, that of price, supply, and demand. Given that supplies were
high, and demand was low, these needed to be altered artificially in order to
restore the health to the economy. What resulted was what can be best described
as "curing the symptoms" rather than dealing with the disease itself.
In order to decrease supplies, food was bought by the government and either
locked away or destroyed. Government subsidies were given to farmers in
exchange for lower production, in order to compensate for profit loss.
Unfortunately, this tactic wouldn't work with other industries. In order to
deal with them, demand had to be increased. The problem that needed to be dealt
with was keeping public consumption up with the high production of the
factories, thus the public needed to be able to spend more money, since they
didn't have much at the time. To alleviate the problem, deficit spending was
created, both for the government and for people. Both could now spend the money
they didn't have on the premise that they would one day have it. This created
debt, both public and private, both of which have been increasing ever since.
Now that the government could spend money that it didn't have, it created all
manners of government jobs and subsidies to keep the money flowing, even though
it wasn't really there. This allowed people to start buying products again, and
gave people jobs. Everything seemed great. But this was not enough. Public
consumption had to equal production in order to keep profits up, so businesses
devised many strategies that are today considered commonplace and even good
business. One of these was mass-media advertising. Large scale campaigns were
designed to make sure you "kept up with the Jones'", otherwise you
were looked down upon. It became important to indoctrinate the public to consume
as much as possible, and this was very successful. For evidence just look at
any shopping mall today, especially around holidays, where the focus is on
buying as much as you can, and small gifts often just won't do. Another tactic
was planned obsolescence. Today this is also considered good business practice,
but when one looks at it from a non-business point of view, it is entirely
detrimental to our lives and our environment.
Today we are typically more comfortable with disposable products than non-disposable ones. In some cases non-disposable products are unavailable. In others they are made prohibitively expensive, thus forcing most people to buy the cheaper disposable products, for ultimately more per use, in a manner that is very similar to the credit spending mentioned earlier. These of course were only band-aids on the ailing Price System, which badly needed a blood transfusion. Fortunately, it received one in the 1940's, World War 2. War is good for business, and world wars even more so. So it happened at a convenient time for North America (as well as the rest of the industrialized world) that this war came about, so the government could spend lots of money to make stuff to ship overseas where it was blown up. Nothing is better for an economy than spending. It just so happens to be an unfortunate consequence that many of the most profitable ventures (like war, crime, and disease) are not that good for the people living in these economies.
3.9 How did
this affect Technocracy?
Technocracy was popular in the '30's and '40's because peoples' eyes were
opened to the fact that things were going horribly wrong. It is unfortunate
that this is often what it takes for people to become aware of large problems.
However, since the economy managed to recover in the late '40's and early '50's
thanks to WWII and the many 'band-aids' put on the economy by government and
business, interest in reform declined sharply. People were successfully
convinced by the powers-that-be that things were going to be alright, that no
significant change was needed. This was also an idea that most people liked,
since it meant that they didn't have to work at changing things, and could
instead leave it all up to their leaders and forget about it all. Technocracy
continued, however, to try and point out to people that the problem of
technological disemployment was still not solved, and that only the symptoms of
the problem were cured. Technocrats from around the continent continued to be
well informed about what was going on in the world, so that they could
constantly report accurate data to support their announcements.
3.10 What is
the status of the organization today?
A strong core of dedicated individuals continue to keep the organization
active, and its members still work hard at publishing magazines, talking at
public lectures, maintaining internet sites and chat groups, making videos, and
just plain talking to people one-on-one about Technocracy's research and
design.
This should be taken as an indicator of Technocracy's success, for not only is it the only reform movement from the 1930's that continues to exist in force, but also the only design that had withstood the criticism and examination of countless scientists, engineers, and other professionals. It is interesting to note how many other organizations have sprung up in the last decade whose objectives and/or observations either overlap or coincide with Technocracy's analysis and synthesis. Without even knowing it, these organizations are informing the public of at least some of Technocracy's principles, principles discovered well before most of the people in these organizations were even alive. This would seem to validate Technocracy. It has also been noticed that the disruptions in both the environment and in the economy in the last few years have been turning more and more interest towards Technocracy, an indicator that a new growth period may be imminent.
4.0
Technocracy's Analysis
In this section we will look at what it is that Technocracy has discovered about the North American continent, and how it operates. It is Technocracy's
primary postulate that all social operations are METRICAL, that is, they can be
measured. Being so, they can also be verified, and when verified, may be
considered as nothing less than FACT.
4.1 On what
scientific principles is Technocracy based? (Two parts)
1) From the beginning, the members of the Technical Alliance wanted to create
an analysis that was thoroughly factual in nature. They considered nothing
philosophical, moral, or religious in their findings. This way, any person
could objectively verify the validity of their findings. Thus, science was
chosen as their vehicle of research. In order to better understand the value of
this, it is important to know upon what principles science itself is based.
Science uses three tools for its work. These are facts, definitions, and
postulates. Facts are related to the real world and are based on observations
made by humans. When several of these observations agree with each other, they
may be considered fact. If ever a fact fails to stand up to more observations,
it loses its status as a fact. Definitions are wholly arbitrary in nature. They
can be easily disputed since they rely on an agreement upon a definition. An
example may be whether or not to call a certain distance a meter. If others agree,
then it is defined as a meter. This in no way has any bearing on the distance's
actual nature, but is useful for communication. Postulates are like facts in
that they are not normally disputed, but are like definitions in that they are
not verifiable and are arbitrary. For example, if I was discussing with you
about the effects of someone's wedding, then it would be postulated that they
were married. The person in question may or may not be actually married, but
for the purpose of the discussion it is necessary to assume so for the moment
because otherwise the conversation could not continue. Technocracy also uses
these tools. It is important that you understand the difference between them as
Technocracy may postulate one thing, define another, and state that yet another
is a fact, and it is important to know which is which.
2) To answer the question another way, Technocracy embraces nearly all branches of science, from chemistry, to physics, to biology, ecology, and psychology. This is also important because part of Technocracy's idea is to encompass all parts in order to get as complete an understanding of things as possible. Only this way can we truly understand the problems facing our society today.
4.2 What did
the Technical Alliance discover about the trends facing the economy?
The Technical Alliance studied such things as industrial output, man-hours of
labor, and kilowatt-hours of energy used in all industries. What they found was
a trend consistent to all these industries. In each case, they found production
increasing at a rate never observed before, and that the man-hours per unit of
production were in decline. The result of these two trends was an increase in
man-hours of labor at first, but then a decline after 1919. This is illustrated
in Technocracy's Three Curve Chart. What this meant was fewer people working,
and hence less consuming power in the way of wages. This is what caused the
demand to decrease while dramatically increased production caused supply to
increase sharply, thus resulting in the Great Depression. They also determined
that these trends were irreversible, that people would continue to be replaced
by the more efficient, cheaper, and harder working machines, and they were
right. Even today jobs are lost as computers take over many of the functions
once believed impossible for machines to perform, and huge lay-offs and
cutbacks are the result.
4.3 What is
the "Three Curve Chart" that Technocrats keep mentioning?
Technocracy's Irreversible Trends Three Curve Chart is a composite illustration
of the social trends that occur in North America. It is of the greatest
importance to the human race, and indeed the entire planet, since what we do
becomes far more important when we are doing a lot more of it. The chart
consists of three graphs. The first shows the industrial production for the
first half of this century. It shows a continual increase in production. The
second graph represents the average man-hours worked per unit of production.
This represents how much human labor actually went into making a certain item
or service. Here we see an accelerating decline, representing how the use of
increasingly powerful machines increases the amount of product or service that
can be produced per man-hour. The third is a combination of the first two, and
shows the resulting amount of actual man-hours of labor worked. In the
beginning there is an increase in labor, as more machines needed more workers
to operate them. However, the rate of power and efficiency at which the machine
grew soon outpaced this trend, and began replacing people rather than requiring
more. Thus, in the later half of this graph, we see the amount start to
decline, eventually bottoming out during the Great Depression and beyond. The
main point of this chart is to show that in the beginning, humans performed
nearly all the work, which was of a limited amount since there is only so much
work a person can physically do. However, today, the chart shows us, machines
are doing over 98% of the work, making human labor increasingly obsolete.
4.4 What is
a "Price System?"
Technocracy defines a Price System as any system whatsoever that effects the
distribution of its goods and services on a basis of commodity evaluation and
that employs any form of debt tokens or money. By this definition, every major
society in the world today employs some form of Price System whether they call
it capitalism, communism, socialism, fascism or by any other label. Whatever
their form, all were geared to conditions of natural scarcity and hence are
unsuitable for distributing abundance.
4.5 Does
Technocracy envisage the collapse of the Price System in the near future?
Technocracy will not make a flat prediction on this subject. Too many qualifying
factors are involved. What we can say is that the problems of the Price System
are multiplying daily and more and more people are becoming intolerant of this
wasteful and obsolete method of social operation.
4.6 What are
the overall implications of this analysis?
What this analysis shows us can best be explained by Technocracy's three main
conclusions, stated in question 2.5 above. However, I will reiterate them here.
First of all we have learned that the North American continent has enough
natural resources, industrial capacity, and technically trained personnel to
produce an abundance of goods and services. This abundance is made possible by
the vast increases in production during the entire 20th century. This abundance
could also supply each and every citizen of the continent with a substantially
high standard of living, high economic security, as well as freedom from the
physical toil that is no longer required of them. The analysis also shows how
the Price System interferences of money, credit, wages and debt are all cause
for increasing instability, i.e. that not only is it inadequate to distribute
an abundance to people, but increasingly dangerous to them as well. This point
can be easily shown in the ever increasing factors such as crime, pollution,
poverty, and debt. Lastly, this research shows us that there are simple ways of
re-structuring society so as to no longer depend on those Price System
interferences that keep us from abundance. These methods require an entirely
new way of looking at and dealing with things. This new way involves science,
and its result is found in Technocracy's Technological Social Design, outlined
below.
5.0
Technocracy the Design
5.1 Introduction
This section will briefly outline the major points of Technocracy's
Technological Social Design. If you would like a further explanation or a more
in depth look at the specifics of the design, please refer to the resources in
Section 7.
5.1.1
Briefly, what does Technocracy propose to substitute for a Price System?
Technocracy proposes: first, a carefully planned production adjusted so as to
maintain as high a physical standard of living for the people of North America
as is compatible with the limitations of non-replaceable natural resources;
second, a carefully planned distribution based upon the total amount of energy
consumed in production. This two-fold plan would give to each individual an
equal and substantial income.
5.1.2 Is
Technocracy a socialist or democratic system?
Although elements of both socialist and democratic systems might be found in
Technocracy's design, this should not be taken as Technocracy being similar to
either. While it is both easy and common to want to group Technocracy together
with more familiar political and economic systems, this would be a mistake. The
simple reason for this is because Technocracy is far too different from any
other social system ever devised. It cannot be grouped with other political
systems because Technocracy does not involve politics. Technocracy is about the
scientific control of technology, not a philosophical method of controlling
people. Likewise, Technocracy cannot be grouped with other economic systems
because Technocracy relies on the existence of an established, technological
abundance, whereas all other systems, i.e. "Price Systems", all rely
on the existence of a natural state of scarcity. Therefore, we find that
Technocracy is not, and cannot be easily compared to, either a socialist or
democratic system. Incidentally, if one were to pick these systems apart for
their good and bad points, it would be likely that one would find the best
elements of these other systems existing in a Technocratic society, with all
the problems of those same systems being absent. This, however, is another
discussion.
5.1.3 What
are the requirements for a High Energy Society?
When sufficient technology has been installed in a society that it is capable
of providing an abundance to it's citizens, then the rules of the game change.
That is, technology behaves in a way that is different than people do.
Currently we are trying to control technology by using the antiquated
methodologies of people control, i.e. politics and money. Since technology
behaves differently, and because it is doing over 98% of the work in our
society, the situation has become dangerous. Greater emphasis should be placed
on the proper control of technology because of it's great power. What then are
the requirements of a society that is operating so much technological power?
1) Register
on a continuous 24-hour-per-day basis the total net conversion of energy, which
would determine (a) the availability of energy for continental plant
construction and maintenance, (b) the amount of physical wealth available in
the form of consumable goods and services for the consumption by the total
population during the balanced load period.
2) By means of the registration of energy converted and consumed, make possible
a balanced load.
3) Provide a continuous inventory of all production and consumption.
4) Provide a specific registration of the type, kind, etc., of all goods and
services, where produced and where used.
5) Provide specific registration of the consumption of each individual, plus a
record and description of the individual.
6) Allow citizens the widest latitude of choice in consuming their individual
share of Continental physical wealth.
7) Distribute goods and services to every member of the population.
On the basis of these requirements, it should be noted that on each of these counts, money fails to meet our requirements as our medium of distribution!
5.1.4 What
would be the benefits of the design Technocracy proposes over our current
system?
The benefits would be many Without explaining them individually, they are
listed here in summation:
The elimination of: Industrial waste, poverty, homelessness, pollution, waste
of natural resources, most crime, huge income disparity, political and
financial control over others, corruption, overloading peak periods of the day,
disparity in availability of health care and education, economic instability,
discrimination, taxes, debt, insecurity, inefficient and haphazard
transportation, profit and greed motives.
The creation of conditions such as: Free and quality education for all, free
and quality health care, a high income and standard of living for everyone,
inexpensive and top quality housing, clean air and water, economic security,
equality for all humans, work for less than 20 hours per week at a job you
enjoy and are properly trained for, 78 days consecutive vacation, cheap
communications, freedom and income to pursue personal hobbies and interests.
As we can see from the partial list, there is much to be gained from living in
a Technocratic society.
5.2
Organization
In this subsection we will look at how Technocracy plans to organize this
method of technological control.
5.2.1 How
did the Technocrats come by this design for organization?
Technocracy's Technological Social Design involves the control of technology,
not people. In so being, it's design was not decided upon, but dictated by the
physical requirements of operating the installed technology. However, since
human beings are involved, the design must also be in accord with the
biological nature of the human animal. Thus when the time came to plan a design
for social organization, the Technocrats based their design of the most
successful operating principles to date that have similar, if not identical,
operating requirements. The example chosen was the Bell Telephone system. The
Bell Telephone system well resembled a single sequence of a Technate. It's
primary purpose was to provide continuous and quality communications to every
citizen across a continental scope of operations. In doing so it did three
things:
1) It maintained in continuous operation what was probably the most complex
interconnected array of physical apparatus in existence.
2) It was dynamic in that is continuously changed the apparatus with which it
had to deal and remolded the organization that came into existence as a mere
handful of personnel in the 1880s. Starting initially with no equipment, it
designed, built, and installed equipment and replaced this with still newer
equipment until it spanned most of the North American Continent as a single
network and maintained interconnecting long-distance service with almost all
parts of the world. All this was done with rarely an interruption of 24
hour-per-day service to the individual subscriber. In the meantime the
organization had grown from zero to more than 800,000 people.
3) That the right people must have been placed in the right job is sufficiently
attested to by the fact that the system worked. The fact that an individual on
any one telephone in a given city could call any other in that city at any hour
of the day or night -and in all kinds of weather- with only a few seconds of
delay, or that a long distance call could be completed in a similar matter in a
mere matter of a minute or two, is ample evidence that the individuals in
whatever capacity must have been competent to handle their jobs.
Thus these are some of the basic properties of any competent functional
organization. It has no political precedents. It is neither democratic,
autocratic, nor dictatorial. It determined by the requirements of the job that
has to be done and, judging from the number of human beings performing quietly
within such an organization, it must be in accord with the biological nature of
the human animal.
5.2.2 What
is Technocracy's proposed organization for society?
This structure of Technocracy's Design can be best illustrated in the Schematic
Administration Chart of the North American Technate, and will be briefly
described here. The chart is primarily composed of Functional Sequences, such
as Transportation, Communication, and Education. At the top of the chart is the
Continental Director. As the name implies, this is the chief executive of the
entire social mechanism. On the Director's immediate staff are the Directors of
the Foreign Relations, Continental Research, Social Relations, Armed Forces,
and Area Control. Next downward in this sequence comes the Continental Control,
composed of the Directors of the Foreign Relations, Continental Research,
Social Relations, Armed Forces, Area Control, and also of each of the
Functional Sequences. This superstructure has the last word in any matters
pertaining to the operating system of the North American Continent. It not only
makes whatever decisions pertaining to the whole social mechanism that have to
be made, but it also has to execute them, each Director in his or her own
Sequence. This latter necessity, by way of contrast with present political
legislative bodies, offers a serious curb upon foolish decisions.
5.2.3 What
is a Functional Sequence?
A Functional Sequence is a branch of the Continental Control that is
responsible for the entire coordination of its responsibility. For example, the
Communications Sequence would be responsible for the design, building, and
installation of all communications equipment. It would also be responsible for
maintaining this equipment, and coordinating with other sequences, such as
industrial sequences for obtaining materials, and the Continental Research
sequence, for developing new equipment and forms of communication. The
personnel of all Functions will pyramid on the basis of ability to the head of
each department within each sequence, and the resultant general staff of each
sequence will be part of the Continental Control. A government of function!
Most Functional Sequences can be grouped into either Industrial Sequences (such
as Transportation, or Mining), or Service Sequences (such as Health and
Education). There are five, however, that do not fall into either of these
categories, and these Special Sequences are described below.
5.2.4 What
are the Special Sequences?
There are five Special Sequences that are considered neither considered
Industrial nor Service. Some, like Continental Research and Social Relations,
deal with all other functional sequences. Others, like Foreign Relations, and
The Armed Forces sequences, normally don't deal specifically with any other
sequence, except in cases such as needed equipment or information. The five
Special Sequences are listed and described here.
a) Continental Research This sequence is in charge of all the scientific
research that the continent does. Most of this work will be in conjunction with
other functional sequences to help develop better equipment, methods, and
materials. Some of the work will also be done without other sequences, and will
involve more general research and development. While such things as basic
chemistry or astronomical research could be conducted by the C.R. sequence
alone, it's findings and discoveries would be made available to all sequences
that would benefit from them.
b) Social Relations The nearest comparison in present day society to a
Technate's Social Relations sequence would be that of the judiciary. It would
be responsible for the maintenance of harmonious relations between all people
on the continent. While it's purpose is similar to today's judiciary, it's methods
would not. None of the outworn devices of the present legal system, such as the
sparring between scheming lawyers or the conventional passing of judgment by
"twelve good men and true" would be used. Instead, questions to be
settled would be investigated by the most impersonal and scientific methods
available. Of course, this won't be nearly as needed in a Technate as today,
for two reasons. The first is that the need for most modern legal activity,
namely litigation over property rights, will already have been eliminated. The
second is that for nearly the same reasons, most crime in a Technate would
disappear, but more on this is discussed in questions 5.2.4.c, 6.11, and 6.25 .
c) Armed Forces The Armed Forces sequence would be responsible for the security
of the North American Continent. This would entail protection from foreign
hostilities, as well as domestic dangers to the public. The most significant
difference would be this latter responsibility. The A.F. sequence would
establish a Continental Constabulary, which has no precedent at the present
time. At present the internal police force consists of a hodge-podge of local
municipal police, county sheriffs, state troopers, and various denominations of
federal agents. The Continental Constabulary, by way of contrast, is a single,
disciplined organization under a single jurisdiction. Information and resources
can be easily transferred from one area to another on a moments notice, with no
problems of jurisdiction. While it is under the discipline of the Armed Forces
sequence, the Continental Constabulary receives it's instructions and
authorization for specific action from the Social Relations and Area Control.
d) Area Controls The Area Controls are the coordinating bodies for the various
Functional Sequences and social units operating in any one geographical area of
one or more Regional Divisions. It operates directly under the Continental
Control.
e) Foreign Relations The Foreign Relations sequence occupies a position similar
to the Area Controls, except that its concern is entirely with international
relations. All matter pertaining to the relation of the North American
Continent with the rest of the world are its domain.
5.2.5 How
are positions attained in this organization?
Positions are filled based on the proven method of nomination from below and
appointment from above. For example, if a position were vacated for whatever
reason, then the people immediately below that position would nominate
candidates from among their ranks for the position. Then, the managers from the
rank above the position would choose from those candidates the person most
qualified for the job. This is the method that is most often used in the
technical portions of present organizations, and is based on competence.
Competence of the person is determined by the consistent operation of the
technology involved. If such machinery should fail to operate within acceptable
parameters, then the person responsible would be quickly removed and replaced
with someone who could perform the job adequately. The only exception to this
is the position of Continental Director, only because there is no one higher.
This position is selected from the members of the Continental Control by the
Continental Control, for it is they who best know who among them is most
capable of handling the job.
5.2.6 What
geographical area would the Technocratic society cover?
The Technocratic society, or Technate, would embrace the entire North American
Continent plus the peripheral islands north to the North Pole, the West Indian
archipelago, and those in the Pacific Ocean east of the International Date Line
and north of the Equator. In addition, the northern tip of South America would
be invited to join, embracing that portion of the southern Continent north of
the Amazon River basin. (Editor's Note: While this is what was initially
considered for the maximum in resources and defense of a Technate, not all
these countries are necessary. Primarily a Technate could function with simply
Canada and the United States if it were necessary, though perhaps not quite as
well as with the others.)
5.2.7 What
are Regional Divisions?
Regional Divisions are Technocracy's method of dividing the Technate area into
smaller units for the purpose of organization. In deciding what method to use,
Technocracy considered methods used today, like the present political and
administrative areas, states, provinces, and precincts, but found them all too
random and arbitrary. Natural boundaries were considered as well, but again,
fell apart due to the abstract and random nature of these divisions. What was
decided on was a method that greatly simplified the process of locating places
on a map. It is based on the presently used units of Longitude and Latitude,
already in common usage. A Regional Division, therefore, would be defined as a
quadrangle limited by two successive parallels of latitude and two successive
parallels of longitude, and designated by a number comprised of the longitude
and latitude of the south-east corner of this quadrangle. Thus the Regional
Division in which New York City is located is 7340; Cleveland, 8141; St. Louis,
9038; Los Angeles, 11834; Mexico City, 9919; Edmonton, 11353, etc. Thus the
number not only designates an area, but also locates it. In this manner all
present political boundaries are dispensed with. The whole area is blocked off
into a completely rational and simple system that is far easier to use and
learn than any of today's methods.
5.2.8 Why is
the design limited to only North America? Is this not selfish?
For no reason other than that North America is a geographical and industrial
unit, whereas the whole world is not. Because of intervening oceans it is not
possible to integrate the river systems of the world in the way that can be
done for the rivers of a continent, nor can any number of other physical feats
be accomplished practically for the same reason. Moreover, it is impractical to
attempt to have an impartial, world-embracing governmental control that would
deal similarly with all parts of the earth; and especially has this been the
case since World War II when most countries of the world have had more than
their fill of political and economic interference from the Price System
controls of North America. Until this Continent sets its own affairs in order,
it is unlikely that any other area of the world would be interested in any
proposition that might issue from here. Apart from the above considerations,
there is a further important one: as yet North America is the only land area
that, because of its fortunate supply of physical resources and because of its
advanced development of the technical arts, has crossed the threshold from an
environment of scarcity to one of abundance (notwithstanding certain present
manifestations to the contrary) and thus has reached the point where a new
distributive mechanism is not only desirable but mandatory if civilization on
this land area is to survive. (Editor's Note: For those of you who insist on a
global range of thought, consider this. It is quite likely that after a
Technate is installed and operational in North America, the resulting stability
and high standard of living would be seen as quite attractive to other areas of
the world. If they so desired, we would of course help them develop their own
Technates, which could later be integrated on some global level. This, however,
cannot even begin to be considered until at least two fully functioning
Technates exist to do such a thing. Such a global body would only be involved
in global matters, and is thus not included anywhere in the present design of
the North American Technate.)
5.2.9 Could
either Canada or the United States operate a Technate without the other?
No, because each nation in itself has deficiencies that in large measure can be
met only by joining with the other. Canada, for instance, except for cereal
grains, grows very little of its own food, depending otherwise mostly on
importations from the climatically better located United States. On the other
hand, Canada is far better endowed than the United States with certain
essentials that the latter needs to sustain its technological mechanism.
Important among these are fuel and energy resources, various
metals, and abundant water supply and accompanying hydroelectric power
potential.
5.3
Distribution
In this subsection we will look at how goods and services are distributed in a
Technocratic society. This is an important point because it differs so greatly
with any presently used or known method of distribution or exchange.
5.3.1 What
sort of mechanism of distribution would be required by a High Energy Society?
In examining the operational requirements of a high energy society in question
5.1.3, we find money to be entirely inadequate for the distribution of an
abundance. Taking this one step further, if this was actually tried, one could
easily see the chaos that would result. Since abundance would mean an
oversupply of goods and services, then prices would drop to near zero. This would
mean profits would become insufficient to allow companies to continue to
operate, even though from a strictly physical viewpoint, there is nothing to
stop them. The entire social mechanism would break down, and no one would get
anything, even though it was all actually available. What is needed then, is an
entirely new system of distribution. This mechanism would need to be in
accordance with the physical requirements dictated by today's large
technological apparatus. It would need to provide every citizen of the
continent with a high standard of living, and do so regardless of the type or
amount of work they do. The reason for this is simple; if people were paid
according to how much work they do, since machines are doing over 98% of the
work, they would get paid very little. There would also develop a disparity
between those who worked in labor and those who performed more cerebral jobs,
who are no less deserving of a high income. In addition this system would need
to be free of the characteristics of money that make for fluctuations and
instability in an economy. These characteristics include transferability,
inconsistent value, and the ability to save. Each of these can cause
fluctuations that are entirely unnecessary. A single, non-transferable, and personalized
currency based upon the physical factors that went into the building and
transportation of the good or service and was cancelled out upon use would
provide for an accurate accounting of the totality of production and
distribution. Thus, with these requirements, production could be geared to
consumption, thus eliminating waste and shortages, while also providing the
widest possible latitude of choice for individual consumption. The method thus
designed based on these requirements is called Energy Accounting.
5.3.2 What
is the difference between a method of Distribution, and a method of Exchange?
Money used today is a method of exchange. It is used to represent debt, and can
be exchanged with or by anyone for any good or service imaginable, including
those that are less than socially acceptable. Suppose we illustrate this by
showing an example of how money is inadequate to distribute an abundance.
Suppose, for instance, that we attempted to distribute by means of money the
goods and services produced. Suppose that it were decided that 200 billion
dollars worth of goods and services were to be produced in a given year, and
suppose further that during that time 200 billion dollars were distributed to
the population with which to purchase these goods and services. Immediately the
properties o to curtail
production and to start oscillations. Due to the fact that money is negotiable
and that certain human beings, by hook or crook, have a facility for getting it
away from other human beings, this would defeat the requirement that
distribution must reach all human beings. A further consequence of the
negotiability of money is that it can be used very effectively for purposes of
bribery. Hence the most successful accumulators of money would be able
eventually not only to disrupt the flow line but also to buy a controlling
interest in the social mechanism itself, which brings us right back to where we
started from. Due to the fact that money is a species of debt, and hence
cumulative, the amount would have to be continuously increased, which in
conjunction with its property of being negotiable, would lead inevitably to
concentration of control in a few hands and to general disruption of the
distribution system that was supposed to be maintained. Thus, money in any form
whatsoever is completely inadequate as a medium of distribution in an economy
of abundance. Any social system employing commodity evaluation (commodity
valuations are the basis of all money) is a Price System. Hence it is not
possible to maintain an adequate distribution system in an economy of abundance
with a Price System control. A method of distribution, on the other hand,
eliminates these problems. It would be individually issued, and
non-transferable. This not only guarantees an individual's income and protects
them from the predations of fiscally wily individuals, but also eliminates the
political power it can exercise over others. In other words, it becomes far
more difficult to actually "buy someone off." Because a method of
distribution would be cancelled after use, or if not used cancelled after a
certain time period, it could thus be used as an accurate method of measuring
the exact amounts of things consumed. It could also be given the ability to
keep track of what types of goods and services are consumed, thereby allowing
production to match consumption. A person's purchase of a product or service
would also serve as an instant "vote" for that product or service.
Thus we find that a method of Distribution satisfies the requirements of a High
Energy Society such as ours is now, and is outlined in Question 5.1.3.
5.3.3 What
is Energy Accounting?
Energy Accounting is a method of Distribution based on the only measurable
factor common to all products and services, and that is Energy. In an Energy
Accounting system, all the energy used in the production, conversion, and
transportation of goods and services would be accurately accounted for. This
would be done by the relevant personnel in each Functional Sequence. Primarily,
Energy Accounting provides the accurate measurement of consumption, as well as
production. This would be done with a device relevant to the available
technology of the time. Technocracy's first proposed device was called the
Energy Certificate. It would be distributed to all citizens and have the
features of both a blank cheque and a traveler’s cheque. It would be a
document that would identify the user, with spaces to record information
concerning the purchase, including what was purchased, the time and date, and
what distribution center it was purchased from. This information would be
immediately tabulated and sent to the Distribution Sequence , which could then
use the information to determine what products were needed and where. Today, it
is more likely that some sort of smart-card would be used. It could contain a
microchip that could record all the relevant information, and also make the
card far more difficult to tamper with. What this would allow is for the
Continental Control to know exactly how much of what items are being consumed
and where. This information would allow production to be geared to consumption,
and that the appropriate amounts of goods be delivered to the areas where they
are desired. Since the energy it takes to produce and transport an item does
not change, cost of items, measured in terms of energy, would not fluctuate,
except in cases where a more efficient method of production was discovered, in
which case the cost would only go down.
5.3.4 How
would I purchase things? (dr)
Via Energy Accounting thusly, the cost of goods will be stated in terms of
energy units and costs would never rise. The available net energy units
allocated to people would be deposited automatically into their own accounts as
energy credits for them to 'spend.' There would be no tokens (cash) rather like
a using a `debit card' that always worked. Once 'spent' by the individual these
energy credits which represent amounts equal to the energy used to produce the
item would then be used for replacement of the item just purchased by the
spender. Note the effect of this; people will thereby direct the Technate's
administration as to what to make and do next. In a Technate the collective
will of its citizens direct the country.
5.3.5 Is
Technocracy proposing that everyone receive the same income?
Yes. Why attempt to differentiate between incomes when there is more than
enough for everybody? Despite our extensive wastage of resources resulting from
Price System operation, it is still possible to provide an optimum abundance to
all citizens if careful management is exercised. An abundance cannot be sold --
it can only be distributed. It must not be thought that the extension of equal
consuming power to everybody presumes that everyone would receive exactly the
same commodities as everyone else; such doling out is indicative of scarcity
conditioning. A more analogous circumstance would be that of letting a group
of, say, 10 persons spend similarly large sums of money as they wished. It is
highly unlikely that they would all buy the same things, or even that their
purchases would coincide throughout on any single item. If they still think
they should receive consuming power on the basis of what they earn through work
done, they had better be prepared to starve to death, for when over 98 percent
of all work is performed by mechanical energy, none of them can really say they
earned their living on the basis of their minuscule energy contribution to the
total expended.
5.3.6 Would the
Technate produce everything for the people?
Mostly. The production of goods mentioned in Energy Accounting refers only to
those items that can be mass produced; food, clothing, transportation, housing,
furniture, etc. Certain items such as works of art would still be produced by
individuals and/or groups, and it would be up to them as to how they wish to
share their art with the rest of the world. Of course, much of this art (such
as music and paintings) could be reproducible. If allowed, such items would be
mass reproduced at the highest quality for distribution to the public; how much
was made would be up to the consuming public. That the Technate actually
produces these items instead of individual people, groups, or corporations
should not make one think that the choice in products would in any way be
limited. On the contrary, the public would 'vote' for what it liked by
purchasing items, and not vote for them by not purchasing them. For items that
didn't exist yet, it would be a small matter for opinion polls and idea
catalogues to be conducted electronically thereby obtaining the latest and most
accurate accounts of what the public wishes to spend its energy credits on.
5.4 Design and Operating Characteristics
5.4.1 What
methods does Technocracy plan to employ to achieve abundance and security?
The simple answer to this is that a Technate would employ only the latest and
most objective scientific means of controlling production and distribution.
More specifically, certain methods have already been found to be enormously
helpful in reducing waste, increasing production, and reducing the amount of
work that is required by human beings to produce any given amount of product.
These methods include, but are not limited to, adjusting Load Factor, improving
Quality of Products, implementing a new work calendar, and utilizing
standardization. Also, it would be found that in using Energy Accounting, certain jobs would no longer exist, thus freeing up even more
of the available work force. These techniques are described briefly below.
5.4.2 What
is Load Factor?
Load factor is the ratio between the extent of actual usage of equipment and
the total time that it could be used. Thus, if equipment is running only 12
hours per day for six months of a year, it is operating at just 25 percent of
its load factor for that period -- an inexcusably low figure but not at all
uncommon in today's Price System society. The private automobile, for example,
operates at a load factor no higher than five percent.
5.4.3 Why is
Load Factor control important?
The extreme inefficiency of present low load factors is a major reason for many
current difficulties, most of which could be overcome by scrapping much
equipment and raising the operating load factors on the remainder to the
highest possible degree. Rather than suffering loss from such action, the
public would experience a considerable gain in services rendered. We could, for
example, get just as much service from one-tenth of the existing number of cars
on the road if we boosted the load factor on that one-tenth from the present
five percent to only fifty percent of potential.
5.4.4 How
does the Quality of Products affect the design?
It is common practice today to implement what is known as "Planned
Obsolescence." The reason for this is simple: the sooner a product ceases
to be of any use, the more frequently a consumer must purchase a new one. This
insures a greater amount of any product being bought by the population during
any given time period, and thus greater profit. However, this also leads to
other side affects, such as waste of resources, overpackaging, and in some
cases safety hazards. When the incentive for profit is removed and only the
concerns of the consumer and the environment are left, it becomes obvious what
the advantages of better quality products are. If a car tire was made to last
100% longer than the original, only half as many need be produced. Of course,
creating better quality products may require greater amounts of energy. Hence,
the quality of product chosen would be based on the ratio of energy required to
produce that quality item to its known life span, which is known as Optimum
Quality.
5.4.5 Does
Technocracy plan to change the calendar?
Technocracy plans no changes to the calendar currently in use. It will,
however, propose a new calendar for the purposes of organizing work done.
Whether the population will choose to abandon the current calendar or not for
every day use is entirely up to them. The purpose of the new calendar is to
illustrate how a Technate might organize its work force to provide a minimum of
work for its people, along with a maximum of convenience. The current calendar
is another prevailing cause of poor load factors. With it, practically
everybody works on the same days and is off on the same days. This introduces traffic
jams and small periods of peak load on our places of recreation, distribution,
as well as on industrial equipment. In order to improve the load factor on
these things it is necessary for these peaks to be eliminated so that the
traffic on any one day is similar to the traffic on any other day. The same
goes as well for time periods during the day. The revision of the calendar
smoothes out the most offensive irregularities and is based on the Day and the
Year, the two astronomical events that cannot be ignored. The Technocracy
calendar, therefore, would consist of 364 days numbered consecutively, plus one
zero day (two zero days on leap years). The work period would run for four
consecutive days for each individual, followed by three days off. Every day is
a day off for three-sevenths of the working population -- all healthy adults
between the age of 25 and 45 who are not on their vacation. The working
population is divided into seven groups, each of which has a different sequence
of working days and days off. These sequences are staggered so that the same
number of people are working at any given time. On the basis of 660 annual
work-hours and four hour daily shifts, we arrive at 165 working days, or 41 as
the nearest whole number of working periods of working days on and days off --
a total of 287 days. There remain, then, 78 consecutive days as a yearly
vacation period for each individual. Of course, all these numbers are based on
the industrial and technological developments of the 1930s. Since technology
and the population have both progressed since then, these numbers would
obviously be different today, the exact figures to be calculated by the people
that finally install the Technate. It is reasonable to assume, however, that
the amount of work required would be even less than it was then, allowing for
even more free time to enjoy a high standard of technological living.
5.4.6 How
does the new calendar benefit us?
The effect of this calendar on the load factors of the industrial mechanism
would be tremendous. It means that where load factor is a critical concern,
almost the same amount of activity would be going on every hour of the day and
every day of the year. Thus recreation centers would no longer be deserted as
they now are at times and then jammed beyond capacity for the remainder of the
time. Ample recreation facilities could be provided so that at no time would
playgrounds, swimming pools and beaches, parks, theaters or other places of
recreation be overcrowded. Similar effects would be achieved with electrical
power consumption since industrial equipment would be running 24 hours per day,
all year. Of course, variations for lighting during the night cannot be
avoided, but certainly minimized.
5.4.7 How
can standardization benefit us?
In the field of more generalized design, standardization of more essential
parts will be carried as nearly as possible to perfection. Most of our industrial
progress up to the present time has been rendered possible through
standardization. The trouble is that standardization has not been carried far
enough. There are too many arbitrary sizes and varieties of what is
functionally the same commodity. Take a simple product such as soap. Chemically
there are only a small number of separate basic formulas for soap. The number
of brands of soap on the market, however, runs into the thousands. Not only has
the achievement of standardization made possible our quantity production
methods, but also the lack of standardization has at the same time been in no
small part responsible for our low load factors. In many fields, particularly
in those of clothing and automobiles, the lack of standardization has been promoted
as a highly remunerative racket -- the style racket. If styles can be
manipulated properly, it is possible to increase the consumption of goods by
rendering the styles of old goods obsolete long before the goods themselves are
worn out. Thus, clothing that is good for two years is discarded at the end of
a single season because it is out of style. Last year's automobile is traded in
for next year's extra-fancy model. The effect of this upon the load factors of
the industry concerned is to cause it to run with a short spurt at peak
production while getting out the new model or the latest style, and then idling
or remaining completely shut down for the rest of the year.
5.4.8 What would
be done with the people whose present jobs, like banking, would cease to exist
in a Technate?
Many, of course, would be retired with full consuming privileges, having
already passed the Technate retirement age of 45. The rest would be retained
for function in other roles, whatever their talents.
5.5 Specific Design Characteristics
5.5.1 How
can Transportation be improved?
This is a rather broad question, and one that can only be touched upon here.
Technocracy has proposed many designs and redesigns ranging from individual
vehicles to entire continent-sized transportation networks. Perhaps one of the
most important of these proposals is the design of a Continental Hydrology. By
carefully building dams and canals in the right places, the river systems of
the continent can be connected to create a continent-spanning waterway network.
This would provide access for the most energy efficient form of transportation
currently known: water transport. This network could be used at little energy
cost for large amounts of slow bulk transportation. For faster transcontinental
travel, an single, high-speed railway system could be developed that was not
only more efficient than current trains, but faster and more comfortable. Of
course, for only the fastest needs, aircraft of various sorts could still be
used. On a more local level, there are many things that can be done. New cities
that Technocracy calls "Urbanates" could be designed from the ground
up. This would allow easy access to all necessities by way of moving sidewalks,
combination subway/elevator systems, and, if necessary, individual transport
vehicles. These automobiles in themselves could be designed and utilized in a
way as to greatly increase load factor and thus decrease industrial and other
waste. Because automobiles currently operate at a load factor of no more than
5%, if that number could be raised to even 50%, then the same amount of
transport could be performed by one-tenth the amount of vehicles.
5.5.2 What
are some of the other benefits of this change?
The primary effect of all this is to increase load factor, and decrease waste
of materials and energy. If most or all of the proposals that Technocracy
envisions were to be implemented, substantial savings in resources would be
made, well over 50%, with no loss in convenience to the individual consumer. In
fact, some of this energy would likely be put back into even more convenience
and comfort, but for only a fraction of the energy cost. As well, other side
effects would be noticed. One of the important ones would be the substantial
decrease in pollution. With monetary considerations out of the way, only the
most non-polluting engines and processes would be implemented. This would not
be in spite of any added energy cost, but rather to cut down the energy costs
that pollution inevitably incurs.
The Continental Hydrology could also be used for such things as increased irrigation and erosion control. Desert formation could be slowed, stopped, or even reversed, but these sorts of positive environmental changes can only be effective with a top-down method of planning. It has been proposed that students could ride on top of the large cargo barges in traveling classrooms and dormitories, traveling the length and breadth of the continent to expand their educational horizons. This could be done at minimal energy cost, but is prevented today because of inhibitive financial costs.
5.5.3 How
would Technocracy handle communications, and what media would be used?
Concerning the media that would be used in a Technate, this depends on what the
communications engineers of the future come up with. In all likelihood there will
be refinements on already existing forms or improvements thereof, but there
might also be innovations of types that we can now hardly even imagine. Who
guessed ahead of time what gigantic steps forward would be made in
communications by Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone a century
ago.? Regardless, only the latest technology available would be used, and would
be made as efficient and affordable to all, without all the hassles of the
currently imposed scarcity on communications.
5.5.4 How
could agriculture be improved?
Agriculture would be treated as the biochemical industry that it essentially
is, involving as it does the synthesizing by solar radiation of compounds from
soil and air. Being part of the functional sequence devoted to the production
of foodstuffs, agriculture would be governed in its operation by the same rules
obtaining in the operation of any other industrial sequence -- i.e., maximum
production at the least possible energy cost, involving the least possible
human labor, and with the least wastage of raw materials and natural resources.
Today's small-scale farms would give way to large blocks of land, possibly as
much as 25 miles square, that would be cultivated by power machinery developed
for large-scale operation. It is probable that the agricultural population
employed on these large tracts of land would reside in towns suitably located
where they could combine the educational, recreational, and cultural advantages
of urban life with their out-of-door agricultural pursuits.
5.5.5 How
could housing be improved?
Again, housing would be handled in a completely scientific manner, with the
advantages of top-down planning. Instead of thousands of architects building
millions of variations of what are essentially the same buildings,
standardization would be implemented to facilitate manufacturing. Housing would
likely be prefabricated and modularized. This would allow materials from
virtually anywhere in the continent to be usable virtually anywhere else. As
for specific designs, only function and environment would be considered. Of
course housing in the northern parts of Canada would have different needs than
those of those in the southern States. Once built, buildings, whether large
apartment complexes or single houses, could be altered for function at a much
smaller energy cost than that of constructing an entirely new building. In this
way, people concerned with "personalizing" their homes would still have
that option. Indeed, with the cost of housing being so much cheaper in a
Technate than in today's Price System, everyone would have this option, rather
than only a select few. In addition, all housing, regardless of who uses it,
would have certain minimum standards. These would include, but are not limited
to, being clean, fire proof, sound proof, earthquake proof, and temperature and
humidity controlled. Of course, many more things are possible as well, and will
continue to increase as technology advances.
5.5.6 What
is an "Urbanate?"
Urbanates are what would likely replace today's cities in a Technate. Today's cities
are a hodge-podge of randomly thrown together elements that comprise a bulky,
inflexible, and entirely inconvenient area of living. On top of this, cities
are allowed, even obliged, to continuously grow, thus contributing to such
problems as overcrowding, violent crime, traffic congestion, and long travel
times between destinations. Urbanates, on the other hand, would be planned from
the top-down to the individual doorknob. In this way, the most convenient and
efficient methods of transportation could be employed. The size of Urbanates
themselves would be small and controlled, perhaps with populations of around
14,000. Of course, this is speculative, and an optimum sized population could
be calculated only with the latest scientific data. Urbanates would suffer none
of the problems that plague our cities today. Pollution, traffic problems,
overcrowding, undisposed garbage and waste, flooding, and bad housing would all
be things of the past.
5.5.7 It
seems pretty far fetched to rebuild so much, is this really feasible?
Most of what Technocracy has proposed revolves around industrial or other types
of efficiency. With financial considerations out of the way, our industrial
capacity would be released to it's maximum potential, for the benefit of the
entire population. It was estimated in the earlier part of the century that if
Urbanates were built, and the cities abandoned and salvaged for resources, that
we could make up for the energy cost of building a new North America in as
little as twenty years.
6.0
Common Concerns
This section includes questions that do not easily fit into the previous
sections. Also included are shorter answers to questions, or answers that
expand on previous topics. As of this Hypertext version (1.0 Beta), there is no
organization to this section. There may be later if there proves to be a need.
6.1 What are
you going to do with the people who are not interested in Technocracy?
If the question asks what we intend to do with persons today who are not
interested in Technocracy, the answer is "nothing." We are seeking
people who are intelligent and open-minded enough to embrace a new idea.
However, deteriorating economic and social conditions will force many people
not presently interested to look in our direction. In the Technate even the
people who are not interested in Technocracy will enjoy the same high standard
of living and increased leisure along with greater opportunity for cultural
activities. Should they still prefer to live somewhere else, there will be no
restriction on emigration.
6.2 Is not
Technocracy very similar to Socialism or Communism?
No, it is not -- mainly because it proceeds from entirely different premises
than either socialism or communism. Technocracy originated out of a
circumstance of technologically-produced disemployment. Research indicated that
increasing technological disemployment would render impossible the distribution
of sufficient consuming power in salaries and wages to buy back the products of
increasingly efficient machines. The social program of Technocracy therefore,
is one specifically designed to distribute an optimum of goods and services to
all citizens. (The resulting disemployment by technology mentioned above is on
the lips of nearly everyone in North America today.) Socialism and Communism,
by contrast, were out-growths of an environment in which practically all work
was done by human muscle-power, and wherein it was never possible to produce
sufficient goods and services for all citizens. Karl Marx's theories were
formulated to overcome conditions as they existed in Europe in the middle of
the 19th Century -- far different conditions from those faced in 20th Century
North America. Only Technocracy applies the necessary measures to cope with
20th century technological problems.
6.3 What do
Technocrats mean by "Social change?" Their use of the term seems to
differ from that of the popular understanding.
Very much so. Social change is far more basic than the periodic switches from
one political party to another, even if these switches are from the far right
to the far left; for unless the essential ingredient of social change is
introduced by the new administration, nothing more than superficial differences
will result. The essential ingredient to effect social change is a change in
the rate of energy conversion, whether this be upwards or downwards. Thus, a
society that converts energy at a low rate can have only a low overall living
standard, while another that converts energy at a higher rate can have a
correspondingly higher standard of living for all its citizens. That this may
not actually occur has nothing to do with society's ability to do so; the fault
lies in the distributive mechanism.
For all practical purposes we may consider social change to involve an upward adjustment of the ability to convert energy. Historically, from time immemorial until the last couple of centuries, the only significant means humankind had of converting energy was the power of their own muscles. This accounted for about 90 percent of all energy converted, notwithstanding the assistance obtained from such extraneous sources (those outside the human body) as domesticated animals, windmills and waterfalls. Thus, the general living standard throughout the world in the middle of the 18th century was not substantially different from what it had been four or five thousand years earlier, which suggests that the rate of energy conversion was at its irreducible minimum.
The first significant change upward occurred when the energy of burning coal was harnessed for use through the medium of the newly invented steam engine in the 18th century. Slowly at first, but with rapidly gathering momentum, the trend to the use of extraneous sources of energy -- coal, petroleum products, electricity -- increased until today in North America an exact reverse of the historic situation exists. Less than two percent of all energy converted for the production of goods and services can be attributed to human muscle power; the balance, over 98 percent, comes from extraneous sources: technological energy, mechanical, electrical or chemical. Accordingly, we now have the physical ability to produce an optimal amount of goods and services for every resident of the Continent. The fact that they are not receiving it stems from their stubborn retention of that archaic Price System social mechanism that was conceived in natural scarcity and is operable only under those environmental conditions.
6.4 What is
your symbol called, and what is its significance? Would it, with the gray
field, be the flag of the Technate?
The symbol is called the monad, and it signifies balance between production and
distribution, which is an integral part of the social program designed by
Technocracy. Whether it and the gray field will be the flag of the Technate is
a matter that will have to be determined by the citizens of the Technate.
6.5 What can
we do to stop the terrible waste of our natural resources and still keep the
Price System going?
Nothing, because the two go hand in hand. The character of the North American
Price System requires that it constantly expand in order to survive, and this
in turn requires a mindless drain of resources to satisfy the production needs
of the revered Gross National Product. To cut back on the use of resources
would necessitate a decline in the GNP and hence in the fortunes of Price
System operation. Conservation of our natural resources to any meaningful
extent would soon wreck the Price System. But is that so bad? In view of the
alternative? For the first time humankind can look forward to an age of
prosperity, but some people still yearn for the past.
6.6 Would
Technocracy put an end to private ownership?
Yes, except for personal belongings. But why let that worry you? You don't own the
telephone line service to your house, but that doesn't keep you from using it
whenever you wish, except for the cost of those expensive long-distance calls
that is a Price System interference to the most efficient use of such
equipment. More people are finding that owning a car or house is more of a
detriment than a benefit, considering taxes and maintenance. They look with
some envy at apartment dwellers who live as comfortably as they without the
usual concerns of house owners; and when it is possible to do so, many of the
house owners join the ranks of the apartment dwellers. Private ownership is a
Price System hang-up that will be gladly abandoned by most people when they
experience the considerable advantages of being able to use goods and services whenever
desired without the bother of owning them.
6.7 How
would the Technate conduct its international affairs?
International affairs of any nature would be the special concern of the Foreign
Relations Sequence. As with all other Sequences, its personnel would be
specially trained for their work, having among its staff a selection of
personnel who, in total, could speak most of the major languages of the world.
In addition they would be conversant with the history, geography, social
mechanisms and other pertinent characteristics of all countries they would be
dealing with; in other words, the balance of the world outside the Technate
area. By keeping in constant touch with world affairs, the Foreign Relations
Sequence would instantly be aware of an emergency occurring in any area and so
would be able to render whatever assistance it required of personnel or
supplies. All such assistance would, of course, be given without any strings
attached.
6.8 In
travel abroad what would be used for money?
Citizens of the Technate who plan a trip abroad would be granted the equivalent
of their domestic income in foreign currency, secured by the Technate. Upon
their return, travelers could relinquish any foreign money they might have in
their possession.
6.9 How
would we secure the goods that could not be produced in this continental area
from other countries?
There would be no international trade for private profit as at present, but
there would be an exchange of goods on somewhat of a barter basis -- at
present, in excess of 40% of world trade is carried out by barter -- or there
would be direct sale in some instances in order that the Technate might be
provided with foreign currency for the use of its citizens in travel abroad.
All such matters involving international relationships would of necessity be
handled by the Continental Control in conference with the representatives of
other countries. The Continental Control would establish the policy to be
followed in each instance, and the Foreign Relations Sequence would attend to
its application.
6.10 What
about items that cannot be mass produced, like antiques, and some artwork? How
would these be handled?
Some items will still be inherently scarce because of their properties, such as
antiques or original works of art. These would likely remain in the possession
of those who produced them or whomever they decide. They could be easily bartered
for or traded against other scarce items, it doesn't really matter. These items
have no real bearing on the continental operation of technology and would hence
be handled in whatever way the public sees fit. They could not be traded for
energy credits however. Of course, if it is so desired, copies of antiques or
artwork could be easily mass produced, as the public demands, and provided the
original producer or owner makes the item available for duplication. These
would be purchased with energy credits, to cover the costs of duplication and
transport.
6.11 Would
there be a police department in a Technocracy?
Because the cause of most crime would be automatically eliminated by the design
of the Technate, it is reasonable to expect that the proportion of crime
stemming from economic causes (at least 90 percent) would disappear along with
the elimination of the cause. The great reduction in crime would be matched by
a corresponding reduction in the number of police; however, since some crime
not related to economic causes would still exist, police could not be
completely dispensed with. Instead of the rash of local police departments now
found across the Continent, there would be just one law enforcement agency,
namely, the Continental Constabulary, but it would be a specially trained group
of individuals operating under the discipline of the Social Relations Sequence.
6.12 Could
not a Technate easily become a police state?
While this is always possible, it is very unlikely, more so in Technate than a
Price System. First of all, the design of a Technate calls for the scientific
control of technology, not people. This makes corruption very difficult, if not
unlikely. Secondly, since the citizens of an operating Technate would have a
substantially higher standard of living, and thus income, they would have much
more freedom and power to use as a check against abuses in the system.
6.13 How
will education be handled in a Technate?
The main immediate benefit for education accruing from a Technate operation
would be the removal of those same monetary obstructions that have sabotaged
virtually all other functions within the Price System. With these out of the
way, the only barrier in any student's path would be his or her own ability to
proceed to higher levels of academic attainment. While earlier stages of
education would undoubtedly benefit from an input of new teaching techniques
and equipment, it would be at the more advanced levels that students would
experience the principal advantages of the Technate's approach to education.
Expert counseling advice would be constantly available, and as soon as students
showed special aptitudes toward particular careers -- medical, engineering or
otherwise -- they would be encouraged, henceforth, to specialize their studies
in those directions. Then, in the latter stages of their educational periods,
they would receive direct on-the-job training from qualified instructors at the
very location where they would commence their functional service.
6.14 How do
the Technocrats propose to come into power?
There is a possible double meaning here. If the questioner is asking how the
organization of Technocracy Inc. and its members propose to come into power,
the answer is: they don't. Technocracy Inc. is a purely educational-research
organization with no assumption of power theory. Even if it did entertain such
a theory and were successful in "coming into power," its members, for
the most part, would be no more competent than any one else elected to public
office to administer the affairs of a nation. Only the qualified, trained
personnel who are already operating the physical apparatus of the Continent are
competent to administer a governance of function, and such personnel cannot be
selected by ballot. On the other hand, if the questioner is asking how
Technocracy seeks to have its program of social operation put into effect, we
would point out the following: It is the policy of the leaders of Technocracy
not to discuss tactics, because it is impossible to say definitely just exactly
what would be done in a situation that is still in the future and in which so
much would depend upon the attitudes and actions of others. For the present, we
know that we must educate and organize, not to foment a revolution, but to be
prepared to keep our industrial mechanism operating when the Price System can
no longer operate. Beyond this, all we can say is that as scientifically
trained men and women, we would weigh the facts and act upon them as
intelligently as possible when the time comes. We can no more predict the
actual manner in which the program will be instituted than an army general can
predict ahead of time just how he will deploy his men and equipment to win a
battle. The circumstances of the time must determine the action.
6.15 Does
Technocracy have a specific plan to implement when and if the Price System
finally and completely breaks down?
Technocracy's specific plan during the transition period is its program of
Total Mobilization of men, machines, materials and money with national service
from all and profits to none. This program would provide a stable framework in
which to introduce efficiently and harmoniously the various elements of the
Technocratic society itself.
6.16 How
will Technocracy change human nature so as to make the system work?
It won't even try, for it is neither possible, necessary, nor desirable that
human nature be changed. What is in the minds of most people when they speak of
"human nature" is human behavior. Human behavior, like all other
animal behavior, is the result of the reaction of environment upon the
inherited mechanism of the individual. Technocracy proposes to regulate this
environment in such a manner that the resulting human behavior will be the most
desirable; or, to put it another way, Technocracy proposes to change the rules
of the game under which human nature operates. Given a decent set of rules,
there is every reason to believe that human nature will effect a veritable
Renaissance.
6.17 Is
there room only for engineers in the technocratic organization?
Certainly not. While engineers are vitally important to the operation of our
technological mechanism, an analysis of existing society will reveal a broad
spectrum of functions that are in no way related to engineering but that
nevertheless are indispensable to social operation. Among these, to mention
only a few, are doctors, nurses, teachers, and peace officers. About the only
type of functions that would be completely eliminated in a Technate that are
considered important today would be those related to Price System operation
such as banking or any of the numerous other forms of financial manipulation --
and politics. Abandonment of these obstructions to functional efficiency would
result in the virtual elimination of one of the most serious side effects,
namely, crime, and the elimination of crime would eliminate the need for
practically all of the facilities now maintained to deal with crime.
6.18 What
would we do with our leisure time?
Learn to live! Since time immemorial humankind has been dreaming of that far
off future when people would have all the time they want to do the things they
desire, and now that this opportunity is within sight, they seem to be afraid
of it. The difficulty is that their fears are based on Price System experience.
All too often individuals have either had lots of time but not enough consuming
power, or else they have been so busy acquiring monetary consuming power that
there is no time to enjoy it. In a Technate you would have both time and ample
consuming power. Thus, unstinted, you could spend much time in travel, in
developing hobbies or in any number of other pursuits. Technocracy Inc. does
not try to tell people how they should use their free time, but it is
interesting to note that when people ask the above question, they are not
nearly as concerned about their own ability to use free time as they are about
other people's ability to use free time.
6.19 If
machines are doing all the work, what will people do with themselves?
Machines will be doing most of the work in industrial production, but humans
will still be essential in the service functions. In their greatly increased
leisure time, people will have an opportunity to engage in a variety of
artistic, scientific and sporting pursuits as well as to travel much more
extensively. A major activity of the Educational Sequence will be preparation
for wise use of leisure.
6.20 Is
there a place for culture in your proposed type of society?
Yes! Not only would there be a place for culture, but it would flourish far
more than at present. In a society of security, virtual abundance and leisure,
the citizens would have a greater opportunity for pursuit of all the arts as
well as sports and hobbies of various kinds.
6.21 Would a
Technate feed and clothe the hungry and needy in the rest of the world?
No! The biggest contribution the North American Technate could make to the
hungry and needy of this world would be to put our own North American house in
order and then assist the other continents establish their own Technates. In
the case of a famine emergency, we would, of course, share our bounty with
persons in need.
6.22 What
will be the status of women in Technocracy?
It will be the best it has ever been in human history and accordingly should
earn the support of every woman on the Continent, liberationist or not. For the
first time women will receive their consuming power independently of men and in
equal amount. No man will be able to win their favors with any sort of
purchases. The women, on the other hand, will be unable to sell favors to the
men, thus effectively stamping out the world's oldest profession. Women will be
able to decide whether they will fulfill their social functions in the
traditional role of housewives, or whether they will seek careers in the
industrial or Social Sequences; should they decide on the latter, they will
compete on equal status with men for whatever responsible positions come their
way. Need more be said? Technocracy invites the women of North America to
investigate the only organization whose social program guarantees them the
fulfillment of many of their long-sought dreams.
6.23 What
will become of children and the home in Technocracy?
Actually, Technocracy does not propose any sweeping changes in the institutions
of North American life. It merely seeks to put an adequate economic base under
them. It is known that parental care, and especially mother's care, is
important in the early development of children. No doubt, citizens of the
future will acknowledge this. Adequate economic security would do much to end
any incidents of domestic tyranny with its resultant influence upon the
development of child character. In addition to economic security, all children
would be guaranteed equal educational opportunity with no limitation whatsoever
other than their own ability to compete successfully with others.
6.24 Will
there be divorce in a Technate?
That will be a matter for the citizens to determine after the Technate has been
established. It is probable that the removal of the economic causes which play
so large a part in domestic discord will result in considerably fewer
breakups..
6.25 How
would a Technate solve the serious problem of drug trafficking?
Many drug traffickers in today's society ply their trade to make money.
When buying and selling of all commodities, including drugs has ended
this problem will simply not exist.
6.26 How
will serious offences be handled? Will there be capital punishment?
We cannot be presumptuous and dictate how the people of tomorrow will handle
their social problems whether serious or trivial. What we can say is that
elimination of the Price System and installation of a Technate will automatically
remove many problems that are natural concomitants of our present method of
social operation. A considerable number of homicides have a direct connection
with a monetary motive -- such as violent robbery and the traffic in drugs.
6.27 In a
Technate will there be large cities like New York with its teeming millions, or
will there be smaller self-sufficient units?
The centers of population in a Technate would be smaller and more self-sufficient
than New York City. Metropolises of trade and commerce, as such, would dwindle
into insignificance for the simple reason that trade and commerce would not
exist. Centers of industry might or might not come to occupy the same places.
Along with redistribution of industry would come a redistribution of
population. It is not improbable that New York and other similar locales would
be mined for the metal they contain; salvage companies do this now.
6.28 What is
the greatest obstacle to the advent of Technocracy?
It would be difficult to pick out any single obstacle and label it as the
greatest one, for there are several contenders for this dubious distinction.
Certainly apathy rates high. Shortly before his death, Howard Scott,
Technocracy's founder and long time Director-in-Chief, stated that "Never
in the history of human affairs has mankind been so unprepared for what it has
to face." The saddest part about this lack of preparation is that most
people seem not to realize how unprepared they are, nor do they even care.
Another obstacle is the opposition of the corporate owners of wealth who feel
their prestige and power threatened by the pronouncements of Technocracy, even
though this organization has simply predicted future probabilities on the basis
of examination of developing trends. To blame Technocracy in this case is akin
to blaming a clinical thermometer for recording fever, or blaming a barometer
for forecasting a disastrous hurricane. In one sense the greatest deterrent is
the lack of understanding of its basic principles and of its program.
Technocracy is not alone in this. Any new idea is always fraught with
misconceptions, but the startling postulate of today becomes the accepted
commonplace of tomorrow. Technocracy states its case and bides its time.
6.29 How
would Technocracy handle the race problem?
Technocracy, being thoroughly scientific, makes no distinction of race, creed or
color. Technocracy's concern for the individual is primarily one of capacity to
function. Scientists know that the so-called race problem, like most of our
problems, has its roots largely in our present economic set-up. When it is no
longer necessary or possible for one group to achieve economic security at the
expense of another, we shall find that much of the reason for racial
antagonisms will have passed away.
6.30 What
might the level of income be in the planned Technate?
The questioner is obviously trying to relate the standard of living in the
Technate -- a non-monetary system--to that in the present Price System. Such a
comparison is difficult because of the vast change in the whole style of
living. The Technocratic society will eliminate the current wasteful methods
and poor quality products. The emphasis on conspicuous consumption would also
be eliminated. Technocracy Inc. has estimated that every adult citizen in the
Technate would have a material and cultural standard of living equivalent to what
would equal many times today's average income. This includes housing, foods,
clothes, health care, education, recreation, travel, etc., all of one's
individual choosing. Individual life styles differ even though certain basic
essentials are common to everyone. Only a Technate could provide this optimum
abundance -- the essentials of life and more -- for every citizen regardless of
age, sex, race-ethnicity or of occupational professional status level.
6.31 What
would be the goals of individuals in a Technate?
Much as they are now once the camouflage of monetary perspectives is removed. A
tremendous Renaissance of the cultural arts would be one of the logical
results, along with a burgeoning of scientific discoveries and technological
innovations. This is all because in a society where scientific as well as
cultural knowledge and competence are the criteria -- a condition never before
known in history --creativity will naturally be nurtured in every area of human
endeavor.
6.32 People are
not created equal. This being the case, what would a Technate do about such
things as personal drive, motivation and initiative? How would it reward people
materially for outstanding effort and achievement?
Since personal drive, motivation and initiative are individual attributes of
widely varying degree, no society can do much for their fostering beyond
furnishing a satisfactory environment for their development. Such an
environment would accrue naturally from the application of Technocracy's social
program. Far more important to human growth and development than the monetary
incentives of the Price System are the natural drives of the instinct of
workmanship and the desire for social prestige. In a Technate these could be
easily rewarded by promoting functionaries to higher responsibilities that
would win the acclaim of their fellow citizens in proportion to the degree of
their achievement's merit. Any other form of reward (such as medals or the
like) would have to be determined by its citizens after the institution of a
Technate.
6.33 Can you
describe specifically how a Technate would operate?
No, not specifically. All that Technocracy can do and has done is to outline
the general requirements of providing a social mechanism with a distributive
setup that is equal to the task of distributing an optimum abundance to all
citizens. These requirements are subject to modification befitting the
particular circumstances that might exist in the future, and these
circumstances naturally cannot now be foreseen. Thus it is not possible to
state exactly how any particular aspect of the Technate will operate, except
that it is designed to operate within the well established methods of science and
the laws of nature.
6.34 Would
there be any special consideration given to people working in dangerous or
unpleasant occupations?
When all have the ability to consume anything there would be no point in this.
The determination of this would have to be made by the citizens of the Technate
_after_ it is established. From the present perspective it can be suggested
that should there be any such occupations, the people performing them might be
compensated by being allowed longer vacation periods, earlier retirements or
possibly even medals of recognition. Obviously they could not be rewarded by
additions to their consuming power or by improvements in their living
conditions, for these would already be granted at top level to all citizens.
6.35 If a
citizen found he didn't like living in a Technate, would he be allowed to leave
it for some other part of the world?
By all means. Why keep people here against their will when it would be to the
advantage of the rest of the citizens for them to go? We rather doubt, however,
whether there will be any marked incidence of such dissatisfaction. More people
will probably be wanting to get into rather than out of the Technate.
6.36 It
seems that people will have considerable time to themselves in a Technate, and
yet many don't know what to do with the much less free time they have now.
Would any provisions be made to help people make satisfactory use of their free
time?
Yes, such provisions would be made. The Education Sequence would, in addition
to educating children and training them for their later roles in the various
Functional Sequences, assist in numerous ways. It would, in a similar way but
with much broader scope, carry on adult education classes as is done today by
many schools and universities. These, as is known, teach many hobbies,
handicrafts and other interests. There would, of course, always be individual
help when required. The Recreation Sequence would concentrate on indoor and outdoor
activities, giving instruction in the popular team games, and also in skiing,
skating, hiking and camping, tennis, golf and so on. In all training for
leisure-time activity, the emphasis would undoubtedly be made on personal
participation since such involvement is usually both more satisfying and more
healthful than spectator interest.
6.37 How
would Technocracy handle communications, and what media would be used?
Concerning the media that would be used in a Technate, this depends on what the
communications engineers of the future come up with. In all likelihood there
will be refinements on already existing forms or improvements thereon, but
there might also be innovations of types that we can now hardly even imagine.
Who guessed ahead of time what gigantic steps forward would be made in
communications by Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone a century
ago.?
6.38 Would
the North American Technate isolate itself from the rest of the world?
Certainly not. There might be a short initial period that the Technate might
close its doors in order to facilitate housecleaning, but after that it would
welcome the interest of other areas. Having set our own house in order, we would
be in an excellent position to give assistance by inviting students from other
lands to come to North America to see the Technate in operation, and possibly
take back some of the ideas for use in their own countries. Tourists, too,
would be invited here, and these would undoubtedly gain some impressions that
would be of assistance in their homelands. Alternately, tourists from North
America would be visiting other land areas; and also, if requested, scientists
and engineers from North America would go wherever needed to help in the
completion of projects in hand. This two-way flow of global citizenry hardly
supports any notion of isolationism that any person might hold concerning the
Technate.
6.39 Does
Technocracy use democratic methods?
No, if you mean by this the selection of administrative personnel by use of the
ballot. It is too hazardous in today's highly integrated, technological society
to depend on this random method for selecting the specialized type of personnel
required. We need instead a selective technique that will have some better
chance of ensuring that people with first-hand knowledge of the functions they
are expected to administer will be selected. Such a technique exists in the
vertical alignment procedure of promotion used by industry for selecting its
supervisory staff in the technical departments. It is a technique that has
proved remarkably successful despite Price System interference. A modified
application of the vertical alignment promotional procedure will be employed by
the Technate for selecting administrators from bottom to top in all functional
sequences. The Sequence Directors, heads of their respective sequences, would
constitute the Continental Control; and this body would use the only ballot
employed at any stage for selecting a chairman or Continental Director from
their midst. This would be by virtue of the fact that there would be no one
above him or her to appoint the Continental Director to that function.
6.40 Will
Technocracy take political action?
Technocracy will never take action as a political party running candidates in
any election. However, we would favor a national or continental referendum
giving approval to the installation of a Technocratic society.
6.41 What
would become of political government in Technocracy?
It would cease to exist. :-)
6.42 What
check would there be against the abuse of power?
The idea of abuse of power is a hangover from our thinking in terms of an
economy of scarcity. All previous changes in social systems have been the
transfer of power from one group to another in such an economy. But power in an
economy of scarcity is quite different from functional responsibility in an
economy of plenty such as would prevail for the first time in history. Men and
women would hold positions of responsibility, not through power inherent in the
control of wealth, but rather on the basis of competence. If, in some remote
instance, individuals attempted to abuse their power to the detriment of
society, they could quickly and easily be removed from their position by a
two-thirds majority vote of the Continental Control whether it be one of the
Sequence Directors or the Continental Director. At lower levels of
administration, offending individuals could be replaced with someone else by
their immediate superior.
6.43 What is
Technocracy's proposal for operating during a crisis or transition period?
Contact the central headquarters of the Organization for this information.
6.44 Working would be optional and has nothing to with a persons available energy credits. (see file FAQ.htm)
6.45 Members of Technocracy have long pointed out that when the mortgage is removed from the outside of a church and the collection plate is removed from the inside, then true religious principles might be practiced.
6.46 What is
Technocracy's attitude toward immigration?
During the period of readjustment following the institution of a Technocracy,
immigration would be prohibited. The future policy on immigration would be
determined by a study of the related facts such as our productive capacity,
population growth etc.
6.47
Technocracy thinks only of science and technology. Why not also think of living
better?
Technocracy is based on science; and science, when properly utilized, is for
the benefit of people. Our organization concerns itself with all aspects of
humanity's relationship with the environment and other living creatures.
6.48 Is
there such a thing as optimum-size population?
Under the rules of the Price System game, an ever-increasing population is
demanded by those who have special interests and their own private axes to
grind. But from the point of view of social well-being, it is obvious that if
the population does not stabilize, it will expand until finally checked by lack
of the means of sustenance. On the other hand, if the population is too small,
there will not be enough people to properly man and operate a highly
technological civilization. Between these two extremes there is an optimum
population.
6.49 We live
in a finite world. If we expand our technology to create the abundance of which
Technocracy speaks, will this not hasten the end of our finite resources?
Abundance exists now, and Technocrats are not thinking of abundance in terms of
the present appalling waste of resources both in production and consumption.
The criterion would be serviceability, not vendibility. Goods would be made to
last instead of to wear out. Also, non-renewable materials would be carefully
conserved and recycled as much as possible. There would be much emphasis, too,
on development of plentiful synthetics.
6.50 It
sounds as though you're up against a pretty big re-educational project How are
you going to do it?
The project is not just that of Technocracy Inc., but of every resident of the
North American Continent; so we suggest you do a little self re-educating so
that you'll be in a position to help with the job.
6.51 What do
you mean by load factor?
Load factor is the ratio between the extent of actual usage of equipment and
the total time that it could be used. Thus, if equipment is running only 12 hours
per day for six months of a year, it is operating at just 25 percent of its
load factor for that period -- an inexcusably low figure but not at all
uncommon in today's Price System society. The private automobile, for example,
operates at a load factor no higher than five percent. The extreme inefficiency
of present low load factors is a major reason for many current difficulties,
most of which could be overcome by scrapping much equipment and raising the
operating load factors on the remainder to the highest possible degree. Rather
than suffering loss from such action, the public would experience a
considerable gain in services rendered. We could, for example, get just as much
service from one-tenth of the existing number of cars on the road if we boosted
the load factor on that one-tenth from the present five percent to only fifty
percent of potential.
6.52 What
will Technocracy do about the buildup of carbon dioxide, the so called
"greenhouse effect" and the depletion of the ozone in the
stratosphere? What about the poisons in our food and our environment? What
about the loss of our arable land due to erosion?
Technocracy itself can do nothing except advise, but with the establishment of
a functional government -- a Technate -- steps would be taken to reduce the
problems to a minimum. The living areas that could be established to fit the
needs of the future would reduce the need for automobiles considerably. Within
a person's area of function -- entertainment, service facilities (stores),
medical and educational facilities -- in short, all our day-to-day needs can be
within a short distance -- by walking, moving sidewalks, escalators, elevators
or whatever. The living areas that could fit the needs of the future,
Technocracy has called Urbanates. These Urbanates would use a minimum of land
area and so would be constructed in something like condominium style but with a
difference - they would be designed for living instead of for profit. They
would have a population large enough to justify having a full range of
accommodations, entertainment and recreation without crowding -- for possibly
around 14 thousand people. All travel to and from would be by other than
surface, and gardens and undisturbed natural areas would surround such
Urbanates for a considerable distance.
Our industries must inevitably be largely rebuilt to more efficient standards. Agriculture is one of those industries. We have thought of agriculture in terms of private ownership and profit to the point where the land is showing signs of refusing to tolerate such foolishness. We must use techniques that give us the best assurance for long-term survival in the treatment of our planet. North Americans have the opportunity to make the best available use of what they have and to show the rest of the world a proper example.
6.53 It has
been said that physical considerations make Technocracy inevitable. Is this a
correct statement?
The need for Technocracy will be rendered inevitable by physical developments,
but this in itself is no guarantee that the program proposed by Technocracy
will thus be automatically invoked as intended. Technocracy's social blueprint
stands ready for use, but it will depend upon the intelligent, decisive action
of North Americans for its proper implementation.
6.54 Why
would the people at the top of our society ever 'allow' the usage of this plan?
It is simply not a matter of anyone 'allowing' a Technate to be introduced. If
a referendum were passed that showed that the majority of people desired such a
thing, then those 'at the top' could do little to stop it short of using force,
which is possible but unlikely. However, this has not stopped them from doing
everything they can to keep knowledge of Technocracy from the public, as you
likely have had much difficulty in researching it. Technocracy books are seldom
put into libraries; large media companies refuse to put anything technocratic
in their publications; schools conveniently leave out the most successful
movement of the 1930s in their lessons of the Great Depression era; and
historians, if they mention Technocracy at all, frequently give erroneous
information about Technocracy. The point Technocracy tries to make is that if
nothing is done about our situation now, the Price System will continue to
destabilize until the people of North America demand something better.
Technocracy will be there to show them that something.
6.55 Why
haven't you been able to get people to think along the lines of Technocracy?
For one thing, until recently the only information about Technocracy getting
out to the public has come from the lectures and literature of this
organization. We were "buried" in the late '30s, when the financial
structure became worried that people were going to adopt the social system that
we proposed. During the Depression of the '30s, we had the fastest growing
organization on this Continent. Nearly every little hamlet, town, and city in
North America had people who met in homes, groups, and sections to learn about
Technocracy. The newspapers all over the country printed glowing reports about
us. In our Technocracy Digest No. 326, fourth quarter 1997, we re-reprinted one
of those articles, from Liberty, a popular magazine at the time. Then, in the
late '30s, we began to see disparaging articles about Technocracy. Then they
stopped printing anything about us. In 1939, of course, World War II was forced
on us. The penniless began to get jobs and money jingling in their pockets, and
all thought disappeared as they prospered in their jobs or went off to war.
After that, the false prosperity, for awhile, lulled most people into thinking
that they "had it made" as they began to enjoy all the new gadgets
and technology. They were amused and misinformed by television programs; so
much so, that now, many of them don't know how to think or what to think. They
can see their troubles piling up, but they don't know what to do about them. In
response to a newspaper column on spirituality one letter-writer to its editor
wrote, "we need a deep thinker to help humanity 'Grow up' and leave
superstition behind." "Each generation has thinkers who try to make
us less superstitious - less primitive. For their efforts, some price system
thinkers suffer the fate of Socrates, Salman Rushdie, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and
Madalyn O'Hair. Most enter oblivion, unknown. Deep thinkers we have. What we
need is a brain that wants to listen to them rather than kill them." He
should have added to that list of thinkers, one more brilliant than those he
mentioned: the late Howard Scott, Director-in-Chief of this organization of
Technocracy who some time after saying the following in 1933, suffered the fate
of anonymity through a silenced press: "Spread out before all three groups
(laborers, white-collar workers, professionals) is the spectacle of a gutted
continent, its resources wasted and flung away in the crazy race for the profit
that strangled the system." The reason we extol Howard Scott is because he
presented to the people of North America a valid, scientific design which would
have prevented the present 'strangulation' of this social system. His words
were not just a prophesy. This was information gleaned from 3 years of
scientific research by the Technical Alliance and 11 years of analysis, which
proved that unless the new technology was used for the betterment of everyone
in this society, we would inherit just what we are experiencing now: the misuse
of technology, which has brought down upon us: resources wasted, poverty, wars,
environmental damage to air, soil and water. Since Scott spoke those words in
1933, the "crazy race for profit" has dealt us 63 more years of
misuse, to gut and waste this Continent. It has strangled our social system.
6.56 How
"secure" would we be in a Technate? Secure from what?
The social implications of Technocracy would be many. Take, for instance, the
attainment of leisure. For the first time in history, man would be released
from drudgery, and his creative energies set free. Technocracy would abolish
all litigation, as at present understood in the meaning of that term in our
existing legal system. It would be impossible in a Technate to sue for breach
of promise, alimony, breach of contract, damages, or to probate a will. As
practically all crime in the Price System results from the attempts of
individuals to acquire the property of others, illegally, to alleviate their
own insecurity, crime would practically cease to exist in a Technocratic
society. Technocracy defines a criminal to be a human being with predatory
instincts, living under a Price System, without sufficient capital to start a
corporation. (Crimes where death results would, of course, be treated in a
different manner. Even these criminal acts are largely as a result of Price
System negligence, and if proper steps were taken before these people reached
this stage, these types of crime would also be non-existent in a Technate.) In
a Technate, human beings would be treated, for the first time in social
history, not as willful entities, subject to legalistic prohibitions,
restraints and penalizations, but as energy-consuming devices whose capacities
as producers and consumers necessitate the development of the highest state of
both capacities in order that human beings may be conditioned to living in a
world of plenty where one person's advantage over another person will no longer
be socially profitable. All worthy social projects are implied in Technocracy,
which is to give to every human being adequate security.
6.57 What would
happen in a Technate to all the charitable organizations which help the poor?
What charitable organizations? What poor? In a Technate there would be no
charitable organizations; nor poor.
If you are thinking in the context of there being people who are poor in health. The organization that would help them would be in the Health Sequence. In a Technocracy Digest, 2nd quarter 1992, we printed an article by Dr. Thomas E. Carver, entitled CHARITY. Here are a few excerpts from that article written in 1934. "It is said that 'Charity Begins At Home', and like many other old saws founded in the 'dark ages' and perfectly fitting and appropriate a few hundred years ago, it should now be relegated to the age that begat them, and forgotten. "Like the Production Age in which we are living today, and which is universal in its application, charity to be Charity, must be universal and not local. The danger of localizing Charity and the founding of an organization for distribution purposes, is very much like setting up machinery to irritate a condition to make it incurable, so that the machinery set up for this specific purpose shall continue to be used for that purpose and for that purpose only. It must be admitted that Charity, by becoming organized, has dissipated the purity of its original intentions in that they have become lost in the organization. As the most casual observer will inform us, the retention of this branch of social service, also founded during the dark ages, instead of curing a disease, is actually making it an incurable condition, for which they are largely responsible, and actually foster. In an era of rapid communication between districts, countries, and continents, and in an era of magnificent abundance of all conceivable things necessary for the happiness of humans, we have such a scarcity that a great danger is existent of many people dying of actual privations and want. To maintain a relic necessary during the dark ages is not a sign of Social Progress; and it is more significant even than that, in that, again, here is shown that only scientific efforts have progressed, but Social Progress, if reflected in our charitable institutions, is lamentably lagging behind, and has not made an inch of progress. "It also indicates that where Science takes control, progress eventually follows. Charitable organizations which exist only for the distribution of funds donated for that purpose, cannot be scientific, nor are they operating under any specific natural law, but seem to exist for two things: first, as an outlet for the emotions of those who wish to glorify themselves to themselves or to others; second, to maintain a condition necessary to the continuity of these emotions, which necessitates organization. What is the sense of distributing charity if the thing that causes the necessity is not removed?" This article was first written in 1934. For over one hundred years we have been supporting "alms for the poor", obviously to no avail, because, as Dr. Carver says, the need for charity just keeps growing. A "guilt trip" is laid on us to support charities, not only at home, but to send alms to foreign countries, although we have even been informed that many times these monies and goods fall into the hands of their wealthy scoundrels. Technocracy recognizes the many kind and generous people who give of themselves to help others in need. However, we would advise them to use their generosity to join in a Technocratic movement that would erase the problems that have sprung up in the first place, due to the ruthless mismanagement brought on by the political and financial system. The many problems people face, caused by famine or weather conditions or economic circumstances, will never be solved unless the basic reasons for them are resolved. In a Technate, of course, the thing that causes the necessity for charity - the Price System (the money system) - would be removed totally. Since there would be no money involved, hospitals would be built with sections catering especially to the aged, to the infirm, and to the mentally impaired people. Right now, most of these groups lead a very precarious existence. Many of the elderly are threatened by cuts to their already below-poverty pensions, and cuts to their health care. Even in Canada they must pay a token amount for any prescribed medicines, but a "token", to many of them, presents a real hardship. In the U.S., their health care is almost non-existent, unless they have some sort of medical insurance. Making up the "street people" in the slums of every city across Canada and the United States, are many of these same people, needing special medical care, or just good lodgings and food. The well-to-do people now live in cozy apartments where they can afford to have caregivers to do their housework, their shopping, drive them to medical appointments, or to entertainment. No reason why all the now poverty-stricken people couldn't live in the same style. Without a money-system, they could receive the best medical care and comfortable lodgings so that their lives would not be in the misery they are now - in this Price System. The basic reasons always filter down to one: the Price System. We are capable of solving most physical and economic problems if there was no money involved. It is as simple as that!
6.58 How
would crime be solved in a Technate?
Although crime rates have been in decline here in North America for the past
fifteen years, (despite propaganda to the contrary) the mislead people are
demanding that police be more efficient, that the law courts give stronger
sentences, and that the death penalty be reinstated. How could crime be
solved in a Technate? You have to remember that crime is a major component of a
monetary exchange system. Crime is a very lucrative business for a lot of
people, and not just for the so called "criminals." In fact, one
wonders why many more so called "legal" practices should not be
categorized as crimes.
:-) Technocratic definition of a criminal is a predatory person who does not have enough money to start their own business."
How about this one? In the United States, the government pays many private prisons to house inmates, making it "America's newest growth industry," as one newspaper commented. Also, the article stated, there is no assurance that it saves the country money, or that inmates will be treated adequately, or that they will not have their sentences lengthened so the money would continue to roll in. Poverty propels many young people into crime. They are well equipped in the skills of violence to get what they want. Their schooling and home life had not explained to them that most of the violent programs they see on television are just make-believe. Many parents also don't enforce the "off" switch. Even when behavior experts point out that many senseless violent and murderous acts are the result of acceptance of this type of behavior via TV, no company producing these TV programs would stop showing them when it meant losing the millions of dollars they are making. And no laws are enacted to make them stop. Approximately 98 percent of crime stems from economic causes. The rest is probably of a medical nature. In a Technate both would be remedied when money would be taken out of the social system. Narcotics, for instance. A recent newspaper article was headlined: 'New Focus On Addicts Needed In Battle Against Heroin." "Heroin addiction affects every major city in the world. Fueled by the insatiable demand of its users, organized crime flourishes because of the vast profits in supplying the product to these users." If a drug dealer wasn't getting those huge amounts of money for his drugs, do you think he would be doling them out, free? The selling of drugs would disappear, and the crime caused by the need for drugs would cease. The many women who now suffer the indignities of prostitution would not have to depend upon anyone for their living, and help would be given to them to overcome any health or drug problems. With no money controlling our social system, a crime syndicate would have nothing to syndicate. There would be no crime to organize. Also, because of a brighter future offered to young people in a Technate, their attitudes would change. They would be stimulated to learn things that really motivated them - things that had previously been out of their reach because they couldn't possibly afford them, or were not encouraged to do so. In a Technate, imagine! Virtually no crime! Because the cause of most crime would automatically be eliminated by the design of the Technate! It may reasonably be expected that the proportion of crime stemming from economic causes would disappear along with the elimination of the cause. The great reduction in crime would be matched by a corresponding reduction in the number of police, lawyers, judges, and prisons. There would no longer be any expensive law courts or proceedings, although there would have to be some sort of judiciary to settle minor disputes and crimes not related to economic causes. As long as a reward can be gained by hurting someone people will get hurt. With energy accounting the reward no longer exists.
6.59 What
about White Collar Crime? or: Most of our troubles, today, seem to come from
big business. Many of the things they do are outside the law and yet they get
away with it. Shouldn't they be charged for WHITE COLLAR CRIME?
As we have been trying to tell people for years: Take MONEY out of the social
system. If there was no control by money, and a scientific viewpoint taken
before any technological actions were taken on the environment, safety,
education, health care, those sorts of things, neither big business nor anyone
else would be able to jeopardize our welfare by thoughtlessly using any dangerous
methods or actions. As long as people think this present society is the only
way of doing things, then they can expect that worse is to come in the race for
money. The rights given to North American corporations with NAFTA and MAI
agreements point in that direction.
6.60 How
long will fuels, like oil and gas, last?
Fossil fuels, coal, oil, gas, were made by earth processes which occurred
millions of years ago. They lay unused by humans for perhaps as much as a
billion years. Now, in only 200 years, humans have increased the use of, and
dependence on, these fuels to such an extent that oil is now used by the cubic
mile, some 60 million barrels per day. Coal is used by the millions of tons,
and gas by the trillions of cubic feet per day. At the above rate of
consumption, how long will these fuels last? Any sudden halt to the use of
these fuels would result in the greatest state of chaos ever known by the human
species. People would have about as much chance of surviving a sudden stoppage
as they would of surviving a collision of Mars with Earth, or a complete
blackout of the sun. The U.S. now imports about one-half of the oil it
consumes. As the oil supply diminishes, the use of coal and gas will be
increased, in an attempt to prolong the use of all the energy-consuming devices
now in operation. As coal and gas production declines, other substitutes will
be desperately needed. How long will the "change-over" require? Is it
possible to substitute solar, wind, and thermal energy in the quantities required
to support SIX billion world population? The fossil fuel age has lasted 200
years, to date, and at the present rate of consumption it is highly improbable
that it can last another century. Our present "modern" civilization
is built of non-replaceable natural resources, not only the energy fuels, but
also iron, lead, tin, zinc, aluminum, and other important minerals. Glass and
ceramics, wood, straw, brick, masonry, made from re-occurring resources can, no
doubt, be substituted in many cases. To date, very few plans to overcome these
problems have been made. The job will not be easy, if it can be done at all.
Scientists now think it is possible that the earth can support only about
one-half the present population, at best. The growth in population would have
to be curbed - that is a problem that would have to be solved, no matter if the
idea is painful to some people. If measures are not taken to do this, Nature
will do it in a most 'painful' and cruel manner. In a Technate, scientists
would be given free rein to try to discover and manufacture other materials
that did not require the use of our limited natural resources. By building
things of optimum quality so that they would last longer would be another way
of saving materials. With the money system out of the way, all kinds of
exploration can take place, and even good ideas that have been buried because
of fear of competition, could now be put in place and enlarged upon. Electric
cars comes to mind; this sort of thing.
6.61 What
would Technocracy do about Labor Unions?
There would be no need of Labor Unions. Since there would be no money being
paid out for salaries, there would be no use for bargaining for better wages.
There could probably be some kind of grievance committees within each industry
to bring major or minor disputes before some judicial persons knowledgeable
about the handling of such controversies, without a raucous discord disrupting
the work of other employees or other public services.
7.0
Learning more about Technocracy.
Learning about Technocracy can sometimes seem complicated and/or confusing.
There is no real reason for this, except for the fact that the organization is
currently drastically under funded, being supported solely by it's own members.
This makes it difficult for us to teach others about Technocracy the way that
would be easiest for them. Thus, this section should help you figure out what
to look for, and where to find it. Hopefully you will find all the information
that is required to satisfy your curiosity.
7.1 Are
there books on Technocracy? What and where are they?
There is only ONE book the Technocracy Study Course.
Technocracy has published much literature during it's 76 or so years. Most of this has been in the forms of pamphlets, information briefs, and magazines. The Technocracy Study Course. It was first published in 1934 as a text-book guide to studying the entirety of the Technocracy body of thought. It contains 22 lessons ranging from various fields of science, society, and technology, as well as describing in detail Technocracy's Continental Social Design.
The primary advantage to the Study Course is that it is the most comprehensive work on Technocracy's body of thought, and marvelously provides the reader with the real "Why" of Technocracy. One learns to think in terms of energy, and to see our entire society, and indeed, entire world as an integrated whole, and how it works together. Another advantage to this book is that the reader gets a good handle on many of the basics of science and Technology without taking too much time, or being difficult to understand. Even if a person had no interest in Technocracy per se, I would still recommend this book as a good starting point to learning the basics of science that are required to function in today's society. The original Study Course is no longer in print, however this CD has a hypertext copy.
Often other books about Technocracy have been published independently of Technocracy Inc. These should be considered unofficial material, and often contain erroneous and/or biased information, and should be treated with caution.
7.2 What Internet
resources are there for researching Technocracy?
See answer to question #20 in FAQ file.
7.4 Do you
hold lectures, classes, or meetings?
Yes. It depends on your location. There are Technocrats all over the continent,
lectures are held and are open to the public. You can contact CHQ (Q.7.5) or
the Technocracy Web Site (Q 7.2) to get information on when and where these are
to be held. If you know of several people also interested in learning about
Technocracy, it is likely that you can arrange to have a Technocrat visit your
local area and give a talk to your group, organization, or family. Regarding
the possibilities. It has been said that Technocrats will often happily travel
many miles to help people in their understanding of Technocracy. Classes can
also be organized; again, talk to CHQ or your neighborhood Technocrat about
setting something up. Meetings are often held in cities with more than two
Technocrats. CHQ can usually inform you as to when and where they are, and
sometimes so can the Official Web Site (Q 7.2).
7.5 How do I
get in contact with Technocracy?
There are many different ways of doing this. The first is by mail. The address
for Continental Headquarters (CHQ) is as follows:
CHQ
Technocracy Inc.
2475 Harksell Rd.
Ferndale, WA 98248
This is the best source of information CHQ can also be contacted by e-mail. From there they can provide you with more local contact information, or whatever other information it is that you seek.
8.0
Membership in Technocracy
This section describes membership in Technocracy, it's requirements, and
benefits.
8.1 Who
should become a member of Technocracy?
Becoming a member of Technocracy is still the best way to learn about it.
Membership primarily benefits those who have accepted Technocracy's postulates.
A member may also wish to help others become acquainted with Energy Accounting,
thus easing the transition when it becomes necessary.
8.2 What are
the requirements of membership in Technocracy?
The only requirements to becoming a member in Technocracy are that you are a
citizen of North America, and that you are not a politician. By this is meant
anyone holding political office or office in a political party.
8.3 What are
the duties and obligations of members of Technocracy?
We are self-appointed care-takers of a work of science. Among our duties are,
keeping the literature available to the citizens, not changing it, being nice
to fellow members. Requirements for membership are to pay your dues ($15.00 a
year) and to abide by the organization's Bylaws and General Regulations. Take
the Technocracy Study Course in person, or via project Graybook we learn
Technocracy's analysis of the existing society and why the Price System is
incapable of solving it's problems; the final two lessons explain a solution.
Technocracy has room for many talents, such as teaching, speaking, writing,
typing, printing, and a wide variety of others. The combination of these
abilities through the efforts of its various members constitutes the full
capability of Technocracy to inform North Americans of Energy Accounting. This
is "an Organization that is preparing the people of this Continent for
social change."
Thanks Murdoc