jwb

You don't understand but Marx did.

Do you never look around you and think about all the time and effort that has gone into the infrastructure you truly on just to do basic **** like turn on a light or buy an apple from a store?

My line of thinking is that just like industrialization alienates a worker from the product they are producing... All the technological progress we have inherited is alienating us from nature. From the base line animalistic reality of survival. That's why we suck at work. Because we are so many steps removed from the reason why the work needs to be done in the first place. We're becoming domesticated. That's why I believe eventually the robots will take us out rather than be our slaves.

jwb

IE As compared to how people lived before.

Once again the only actual difference between what we're saying is tone.

You can say being better that fuedalism and slavery is a low bar but the reality is it actually took is a damn long time to advance beyond those systems. Once again we are alienated from the brutal nature of reality cause we've been somewhat sheltered from it. 5 or 10 steps removed from seeing it up close and personal.

jwb

I see homeless all the time too but the reality is if you live in a city and are homeless you typically don't starve cause you can't afford food you starve cause you are on that **** and don't take even a second to quit getting high and eat something

Homeless people know where to find food. I've been there. Even the homeless aren't actually in touch with the true nature of survival though. They're domesticated too. They're like stray cats and dogs. Domesticated animals without shelter living off scraps. That's not the same thing as a truly wild animal.

jwb

As if the two are mutually exclusive lol

Just a coincidence that they happened at the same time huh

jwb

Imperialism predates European domination as well...

jwb

So you saying we're rich not cause of industrialization but cause of imperialism is incorrect. The latest iteration of imperialism went hand in hand with industrialization and capitalism. It's not just domination that made us this rich... Its domination over a global capitalist system which produces way more wealth than previous empires every enjoyed.

jwb

I thought you said it was down to geography???

Either way, without industrialization we wouldn't be this rich. Empire or not.

jwb

Who exactly suggests that? I thought you were referencing Guns Germs and Steel.

That theory sounds suspect to me since modern day European domination is something that happened in the last 500 years. Previous to that the Islamic world, China, the Mongols etc were all superior at warfare to their European counter parts.

Either way, if you are going to say xyz factor is what gave Europe the head start on industrialization that doesn't at all detract from the fact that industrialization made us rich.

jwb

Much richer when? and by what standard? They were never anywhere near as rich as we are today.

Slave labor goes way back. The egyptians had slaves. What they didn't have was running water and electricity.

jwb

Many of the countries that are poor today were former Empires at one point. Ironically enough, the richest nation in the world was also a former colony.