Singularity's best historical analogy isn't the Industrial Revolution but the Meiji abolition of the Samurai
CatAstro_Piyush · x · 2026-09-16
A lecture cited on X argues that the closest historical frame of reference for the Singularity is not the Industrial Revolution, but the complete and systematic dismantling of the Samurai class during the Meiji Restoration.
- The Industrial Revolution changed production while the existing elite largely survived and adapted.
- The Meiji reforms wiped out an entire warrior class — skills, status, and economic base — within a generation, a closer analogy for AI's potential structural impact on knowledge professions.
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