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AUTOMATION
Automation is a component of technology. Technology, on the other hand, is the application of science to daily life. Man lived hundreds of thousands of years without it, until the Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth century. But 90 per cent of the people lived in poverty then. Since the first Industrial Revolution, and during the present day 'automation revolution', the number of people who live in poverty in the industrialised countries has fallen to about 20 per cent.
Although technology solves many problems, it also creates many new ones. In the first place, new technology is necessary to correct the harmful effects of previous technology; for example, if 'affer burners' were made for automobile exhausts, air would be as clean as it was before the automobile polluted it. Secondly, a new technology may be possible but not economical, as in the case of solar energy. Thirdly, nearly all forms of technology can be for the good of man. But unless technological advances are clearly understood, they can do more harm than good. This is also true for automation.
Furthermore, mass production techniques have produced a dependency on machines, which hasn't been full recognized yet. Although living standards in the industrialized world are the highest in history, much of industry has become dependent on automated machinery, and people have become dependent on its products, such as washers, dryers and automobiles.
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