Wolfgang WoppererNotesEssays

Innovation Fuels Continuous Growth

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There are three distinct, but connected feedback loops between technological Innovation and Economic Growth:

This results in a System Dynamics of continuous, seemingly unstoppable economic growth, regardless of its negative effects. In the second half of the 20th century this led to the so-called Great Acceleration through Consumerism and, as a consequence of that, to Climate and Ecological Breakdown.

To break out of this cycle, We need social, not technological innovation.

References

Anthropocene

The geological epoch dating from the commencement of significant human impact on Earth’s ecosystems, as documented in geological evidence.

Colonialism and Capitalism Form a Feedback Loop

From Colonisation to Early Capitalism Colonisation can be seen as an expansion of the supply zones of European citiesDeLanda (2011) , “the original European solution to the ‘ghost acreage’ question”Tooze (2022) .

Consumerism

Consumerism is an Ideology that encourages the acquisition and consumption of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts.

Customer Centric Means Consumerist

Cultural Evolution makes sure that every method that helps understands people’s wants and needs can and will be used to generate new wants and needs, which is needed to keep an economic system from collapsing in which Innovation fuels continuous growth.

Innovation

In its most common sense, innovation is the creation and introduction of new, redesigned, or substantially improved Products, processes or Systems.

We Need Social, Not Technological Innovation

While Innovation has often been identified with technological innovation,[^technology] this is an unhelpful conflation in a situation where we face Climate and Ecological Breakdown and possible societal Collapse: > We have confounded the idea of innovation with technology.