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Challenges in Classical Liberalism pp 229–250Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Coping with Technological Disruption

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Part of the Palgrave Studies in Classical Liberalism book series (PASTCL)

Abstract

This chapter addresses technology critics and others worried about the effects of technological disruption. It offers a framework rooted in rational optimism about how innovation generally continues to bring about positive outcomes for individuals and society. While the evidence supporting this assertion is voluminous, many defenders of progress make poor champions of their cause. Those defending technological innovation will need to do a better job communicating its benefits while also considering new strategies to counter its occasional downsides. This chapter concludes by offering some suggestions for how to do so.

Keywords

  • Technological disruption
  • Rational optimism
  • Technological innovation
  • COVID-19
  • Economic growth

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Ip (2019) notes: “Poverty around the world is plummeting; half the world is now middle class; and illiteracy, disease and deadly violence are receding. These things don’t make headlines because they are gradual, relentless and unsurprising. That is why they are worth highlighting. The problems the world faces are far smaller than those it has already overcome and can be solved the same way: not by betting on miracles but by patiently applying knowledge and tools we already possess.”

  2. 2.

    For a critique of such thinking, see Florman (1994: p. 16), “Anxiety and alienation are the watchwords of the day, as if material comforts made life worse, rather than better.”

  3. 3.

    Gillespie (2019): “Prosperity is central to most human values. A wealthier world helps you be more creative.”

  4. 4.

    Marchant and Allenby (2017: p. 108) define soft law as “a variety of nonbinding norms and techniques,” which include “instruments or arrangements that create substantive expectations that are not directly enforceable, unlike ‘hard law’ requirements such as treaties and statutes.”

  5. 5.

    They continue on to note that “[m]achines will take on more repetitive and laborious tasks, but seem no closer to eliminating the need for human labour than at any time in the last 150 years. It is not hard to think of pressing, unmet needs even in the rich world: the care of the elderly and the frail, lifetime education and retraining, health care, physical and mental well-being.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Street Institute, Washington, DC, USA

    Adam Thierer

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  1. Adam Thierer
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Correspondence to Adam Thierer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Business & Economics Department, Roanoke College, Salem, VA, USA

    Alice L. Kassens

  2. Business and Economics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA

    Joshua C. Hall

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Thierer, A. (2023). Coping with Technological Disruption. In: Kassens, A.L., Hall, J.C. (eds) Challenges in Classical Liberalism. Palgrave Studies in Classical Liberalism. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-32890-9_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-32890-9_12

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