| Abstract: |
This paper analyzes how the qualitative change in human labor occurs in mutual
dependence with the advancement of the epistemic base of technology.
Historically, a recurrent pattern can be identified: humans learned to
successively transfer labor qualities to machines. The subsequent release of
parts of the workforce from performing this labor enabled them to spend this
spare time in the search for further technical innovations, i.e., the
generation and application of ever-more knowledge. A model examines the
autocatalytic relationship between the production of commodities and
knowledge. The driving forces of these processes and the mechanisms that limit
them are analyzed. |