we look at the long history of technology and how it spreads—waves building over millennia. What drives them? What makes them truly general? We also ask if there are examples of societies consciously saying no to a new technology. Instead of turning away from technologies, the past is marked by a pronounced pattern of proliferation, resulting in sprawling chains of both intended and unintended consequences. I call this “the containment problem.” How do we keep a grip on the most valuable technologies ever invented as they get cheaper and spread faster than any in history?
Holding Back the Wave: The Containment Problem of General Technologies
