Member-only story

Sapien Sorcerers

The “Second Machine Age”

J.K. Lund
6 min readDec 6, 2024

Risk & Progress| A hub for essays that explore risk, human progress, and your potential. My mission is to educate, inspire, and invest in concepts that promote a better future. Subscriptions are free, paid subscribers gain access to the full archive, including the Pathways of Progress and Realize essay series.

AI Generate Image

Author and futurist Arthur C. Clark once remarked, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” The First and Second Industrial Revolutions birthed machines that augmented our bodies, allowing humans to produce and build beyond our physical limits. What followed after 1960, according to Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, was “The Second Machine Age.” The Second Machine Age was different; it augmented our minds, not our bodies. The advancement of computers and microelectronics enabled the creation of devices that, if one didn’t know better, border on sorcery. After 1960, we became wizards in our own time.

From Computer to Calculator

It seems strange to say this today, but in the 1950s a “computer” was an occupation, not a machine. A “computer” was a person tasked with doing complex mathematical calculations before the advent of advanced electronics. Just 50 years later, the occupation had completely vanished, and its name was assigned to the electronic machines…

--

--

J.K. Lund
J.K. Lund

Written by J.K. Lund

Founder of Lianeon Ventures | Chief Editor at Risk & Progress | My mission is to educate, inspire, and invest in concepts that promote a better future.

No responses yet