Hierarchy of Technology

Dear Friends: Back in the 90s I would read articles in the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times about “technology.” I could tell they meant “information technology” (IT), and I saw that they had forgotten about the base of industrial technology that supports “IT,” the “information economy,” and the “cloud.” Fortunately for me, my studies in mechanical engineering and economics helped me see the forgotten fossil foundation – and to foresee trouble ahead.

Cutting to the chase, I advocate a relentless focus on basic needs first. We need a Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for technology – a “Maslow Domestic Product Calculation and Evaluation” tool. We need help aiming for technologies and an economy that serve the whole person and the whole planet. Just to start with the first level of Maslow’s paradigm, which is the level of physical survival: We need technology that helps provide clean air and water, healthy food, cooking, comfy shelter, and plenty of sleep and exercise. I leave the rest as an exercise for the reader.

– Muriel Strand, Sacramento Friends Meeting (PacYM)