Week 10 of "Weekly Essay Challenge"

Essay Topic: Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.

Note: This topic can be asked by UPSC in 2024 Mains Examination.

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Ho gya 70 hours/week (14 × 5)....no matter who holds the power....They listen to Narayana Murthy carefully !!

Ricardo’s Pivot and the Centrality of Technological Choices

Conventional wisdom suggests that technological changes increase productivity, leading to higher wages and more economic opportunities in the long run. However, Acemoglu and Johnson argue that this view overlooks workers' struggles to secure a fair share of the prosperity generated by new machinery.

➡️Historical Insights from the Industrial Revolution: Industrial Revolution in Britain provides insights into the current relationship between AI-induced productivity and employment.

☑️ Spinning Jenny: It reduced yarn costs, increased productivity, and boosted demand for handloom weavers.
☑️ Power loom: It led to labour substitution and a significant drop in the real wages of artisans between 1806 and 1820.
☑️ Railways: Created new jobs in manufacturing, design, repair, maintenance, and clerical tasks,

These developments highlight the varied impacts of different technologies.

➡️ Economic vs. Political Factors: Economic factors alone cannot explain the impact of automation on wages. The balance of power between labour and capital (political economy) plays a crucial role. For example, E.P. Thompson argued that the shift to factory work reduced workers' autonomy, and without policy support or bargaining power, it led to deteriorating wages and working conditions.

➡️ Use of Technology: The impact of AI and automation depends on how technology is used—whether for automation, surveillance, and control, or for informed decision-making, problem-solving, and augmentation.

➡️ Job Creation vs. Job Hindrance: AI and automation have the potential to transform jobs rather than destroy them. Automation can benefit labour by increasing the marginal productivity of labour or creating new tasks and industries, as seen with the Spinning Jenny and railways.

➡️ Centrality of Technological Choices: The direction of technology deployment is critical since It can either reduce the marginal productivity of labour or increase productivity in complementary sectors, creating new opportunities. The concept of 'centrality of technological choices' emphasizes that the benefits or harms of technology depend significantly on how it is implemented and managed.

You can use these insights when you are writing Essay on following Topics:

☑️ Artificial Intelligence: Boon or Bane
☑️ Industrial Revolution 4.0
☑️ Impact of Technology on Workforce etc.

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Key Takeaways from "The Lessons of History" by Will & Ariel Durant

Chapter I: Hesitations

➡️ Partial Knowledge and Bias: Historical knowledge is inherently incomplete and subject to the biases of historians. As the popular saying goes "Most history is guessing, and the rest is prejudice."

➡️ Relativity in History: Historical events and their interpretations are subject to change as new evidence comes to light. Durants argue, "The historian always oversimplifies and hastily selects a manageable minority of facts and faces from the multitudinous mass of his material."

➡️ Acceleration of Change: The pace of change has increased dramatically in modern times, complicating historical analysis. Charles Péguy's quote, "The world changed less since Jesus Christ than in the last thirty years," illustrates the rapidity of recent developments.

➡️ Historical Methodology: Authors argue "The present is the past rolled up for action, and the past is the present unrolled for understanding."

Chapter II: History and the Earth

➡️ Geological Influence: Natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and volcanic eruptions have profoundly impacted human civilizations. For instance, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD buried the city of Pompeii.

➡️ Environmental Impact: The environment, including climate and geography, plays a critical role in shaping societies. Durants assert, "Geography is the matrix of history." For example, the Nile River's predictable flooding allowed Egyptian civilization to thrive.

➡️ Geographic Centers: Civilizations often arise in areas with abundant resources. The fertile crescent in Mesopotamia, nourished by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, is a prime example of geographic advantages fostering early urban development.

➡️ Climate Change and Societal Shifts: Climate changes can lead to the rise or fall of civilizations. Durants highlight, "Let rain become too rare, and civilization disappears under sand," referencing how prolonged droughts contributed to the decline of the Mayan civilization. (1/6)

You can use this content when you are writing Essay on following themes:

☑️ Civilization vs Culture
☑️ Lessons of History
☑️ History vs Geography

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Key Takeaways from "The Lessons of History" by Will & Ariel Durant

Chapter III: Biology and History

➡️ Life as Competition: Durants argue that Life is competition. Competition is not only the life of trade, it is the trade of life. 

➡️ Natural Selection: Durants argue "Life is selection," where advantageous traits are favoured for survival and reproduction. This idea is evident in the rise and fall of empires, those with superior strategies and technologies often prevail.

➡️ Inequality and Civilization: Durants argue, "Inequality is not only natural and inborn, it grows with the complexity of civilization." Historical examples include the caste system in India and the class hierarchies in medieval Europe.

➡️ Freedom vs. Equality: Durants state, "Freedom and equality are sworn and everlasting enemies." For example, laissez-faire capitalism led to significant inequalities in England and America, highlighting the tension between economic freedom and social equality.

Chapter IV: Race and History

➡️ Critique of Racial Theories: Durants critique racial theories by illustrating that no single race has a monopoly on civilization. They argue that history is colour-blind and that environmental and cultural factors are more significant in shaping human progress.

➡️ Intermarriage and Cultural Exchange: Intermarriage and cultural exchange can lead to the emergence of dynamic societies. Authors discuss how the blending of different races and cultures in ancient Greece and Islamic world contributed to their flourishing. (2/6)

You can use this content when you are writing Essay on following themes:

☑️ Origin & Development of Human Society
☑️ State of Nature
☑️ Lessons of History
☑️ History vs Geography

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Do you Know ?

In a recent interview, Paul Lynch has used the phrase “atomisation of consciousness” to describe what he sees as the fundamental threat of our epoch. This atomisation has created an entire generation of young people who are completely disconnected from realities other than their own.

You can't afford to miss these lines when you are writing the Impact of "Online Education" or Impact of Technology in general.

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