Comparing the 1940s, biology and computing have actually made massive progress
Dr_Atoosa · x · 2026-08-20
The author questions the emphasis on "we haven't progressed enough" within the progress studies movement. Looking back at the 1940s (the birth of cybernetics), there were no digital computers, internet, or many modern antibiotics, and women in most countries couldn't open bank accounts or vote independently. While admitting that energy and transportation plateaued post-1970s, the author argues that biology, computing, and social/legal progress have kept compounding, suggesting that the "stagnation" narrative often projects the slow pace of a few specific areas onto the entirety of human development.
Related event: Essay Pushes Back on Tech Stagnation Thesis(2 posts)→
More from AGI Musings
- AI researcher reflects on losing her scientific identity as industry culture erodes autonomy — mariyaivasileva · 2026-10-16
- Aella draws the line on AI art: outsource labor, not creative choices — ZeroStateReflex · 2026-10-16
- AI Is Forcing Everyone Into Management—Until It Eats Middle Management Too — MonkZer0 · 2026-10-16
- Shogun 2 remaster review-bombed over AI-upscaled graphics, sparking dev debate — draginol · 2026-10-16
- Pedro Domingos: Everyone must have their own unique model, anything else is dangerous — pmddomingos · 2026-10-16
- Interp researcher pushes back: if you can't simulate a neuron, you haven't explained it — nabla_theta · 2026-10-16