Difference between revisions of "Increasing Efficiency of Labor with Increasing Capital Resources"
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| − | I have heard the argument that lunar colony enthusiasts invoke magic to claim free products of lunar production | + | I have heard the argument that lunar colony enthusiasts invoke magic to claim free products of lunar production. Supposedly we use the magic words "double, double, double" to claim that industry will be used to make more industry on Luna until electrical power, oxygen, iron and aluminum are all nearly free. The fact is that the productivity of labor in western civilization has doubled many times in the last couple of millennia. There is no reason that the productivity of radioed commands to control manipulators on Luna should not increase as capital investment is increased. On the contrary, while on earth industrial expansion is reaching limits because of the lack of fossil fuels or the lack of an ability to burn them without causing environmental damage, there are no environmental constraints on Luna and it will be a long time before the solar power available is all in use. Just as industry started on earth with people improving the abilities of their bare hands with sticks, stones, and strips of leather; so on Luna local resources should be put to use to make increasing levels of [[Solar Power|electric power]] available, more vessels for storing cryogenic gasses, increased industrial facilities for producing iron, aluminum, silicon, solar cells, sintered bricks, glass and fiberglass. Capital investments can include larger antennas made from lunar materials for more communications band width, wire lines connecting the polar regions with places on Luna from which the Earth is always visible for uninterrupted line of sight communications, electrical power distribution grids connecting sunlit areas near the poles with shaded areas near the poles and all electric cargo launch facilities. |
There are might be causes for failure, but we will not find out if this industry can be established unless we try. There is nothing magic about increasing labor efficiency with increasing capital investment. It has been happening on Earth for millennia. If people want to argue that a robotic lunar colony cannot work, they will need something better than the false argument that lunar colony enthusiasts just chant magic words. | There are might be causes for failure, but we will not find out if this industry can be established unless we try. There is nothing magic about increasing labor efficiency with increasing capital investment. It has been happening on Earth for millennia. If people want to argue that a robotic lunar colony cannot work, they will need something better than the false argument that lunar colony enthusiasts just chant magic words. | ||
Revision as of 18:26, 30 July 2010
I have heard the argument that lunar colony enthusiasts invoke magic to claim free products of lunar production. Supposedly we use the magic words "double, double, double" to claim that industry will be used to make more industry on Luna until electrical power, oxygen, iron and aluminum are all nearly free. The fact is that the productivity of labor in western civilization has doubled many times in the last couple of millennia. There is no reason that the productivity of radioed commands to control manipulators on Luna should not increase as capital investment is increased. On the contrary, while on earth industrial expansion is reaching limits because of the lack of fossil fuels or the lack of an ability to burn them without causing environmental damage, there are no environmental constraints on Luna and it will be a long time before the solar power available is all in use. Just as industry started on earth with people improving the abilities of their bare hands with sticks, stones, and strips of leather; so on Luna local resources should be put to use to make increasing levels of electric power available, more vessels for storing cryogenic gasses, increased industrial facilities for producing iron, aluminum, silicon, solar cells, sintered bricks, glass and fiberglass. Capital investments can include larger antennas made from lunar materials for more communications band width, wire lines connecting the polar regions with places on Luna from which the Earth is always visible for uninterrupted line of sight communications, electrical power distribution grids connecting sunlit areas near the poles with shaded areas near the poles and all electric cargo launch facilities.
There are might be causes for failure, but we will not find out if this industry can be established unless we try. There is nothing magic about increasing labor efficiency with increasing capital investment. It has been happening on Earth for millennia. If people want to argue that a robotic lunar colony cannot work, they will need something better than the false argument that lunar colony enthusiasts just chant magic words.
