The Second Machine Age : Work, Progress, And Prosperity

They did not have the strength or will to believe in themselves anymore. They also doubted that life would ever return to normal, as it had been before the war. The Western society entered an age of darkness and pessimism. Many intellectuals even began to doubt the future of civilization. Increasing numbers of thinkers and writers expressed their somber views about the new reality of life. Paul Valéry argued that “the best of life is behind

However, Mr. Springsteen would be wrong in that statement. While war is horrible, it ironically has propelled us on a course that has made us richer, safer, and lead to progress and development. War has led to the establishment of larger societies, it is justifiable and necessary in some instances, and leads to an immense amount of progress and development in society and technologies. Many times it has been said that war is insanity. It is brutal, harsh, and can lead to extreme casualties, homelessness

of error would decrease compared with machines than to human workers. Some science fiction authors have predicted horrible futures due to AI and robots taking over jobs and later humanity, but many writers like Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson (authors of The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies) dismiss this idea as one unlikely extreme. McAfee and Brynjolfsson describe in their book the nature of machines and manual labor as complements and how

Change and Continuity in the Gilded Age Emergence of Modern America       “Every day things change, but basically they stay the same.”-Dave Matthews Change and continuity are two major principles of life. They can easily be applied to history because their application accurately portrays the circumstances, and characterizes the era of interest. Merriam-Webster defines continuity as an uninterrupted connection, succession, or union, or an uninterrupted

as a result of the stock market crashing and the unemployment rates skyrocketed as businesses shut down. Only a very small portion of the population actually held stock. The cause of the Great Depression was really a result of shallow economical prosperity. Most of the farmers and other industries struggled in the 1920’s. Low prices, suppressed wages and

invisible hand. Originally proposed by logician and economist Adam Smith, the invisible hand is the concept of a open market economy in which everyone looks out solely for their own well being. This was seen at first as the sure fire way to ensure prosperity for all no matter what social class one may inhabit. However, this system of economic trickle down has proven not only inefficient, but outright criminal in many cases. Bernie Madoff was merely an exception, yes he has a 150 year sentence, but

The Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution left an everlasting impact on our society because it changed the way humans produce goods and materials, and this impact was felt around the world. Things would be quite difficult today if we were still relying on the technology from 1812. Throughout the last century, technical innovations have enabled people to live better and more productive lives. Humans have evolved with time, and as we have evolved, so must our technology. Innovation is part

industries suffered with the rise of the British Industries and their machine-made goods. Knowledge was restricted only to the upper

American inventor Thomas Alva Edison. Born on February 11, 1847 to middle-class parents in Milan, Ohio, Thomas Edison was labeled as a unique and remarkable individual with a curious passion for knowledge even as a child. Edison was taken out of school at age seven when his teacher had run out of patience with the child’s relentless questioning, constant need for attention, and what would now most likely be considered ADHD. His beloved mother, Nancy, began teaching Tom the “three R’s and the Bible”, and

During the 16th through 18th centuries, European civilization experienced big changes to its social, political, and economic structures. A break from the Middle Ages began during the Scientific Revolution when respected thinkers of the time began to explore new possibilities, such as the likelihood of a sun-centered universe instead of an earth-centered one. The Enlightenment was an intellectual and cultural movement that pointed out the danger of unchecked authority and concentrated on values of