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mwengler comments on [Meta] The Decline of Discussion: Now With Charts! - Less Wrong Discussion

43 Post author: Gavin 04 June 2014 10:02PM

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Comment author: mwengler 05 June 2014 02:11:06PM 0 points [-]

I think LWers and online communities in general should realize that, just like any other economic good, they are subject to obsolescence.

When do you imagine guns or butter will finally be obsolete?

Which is to say I don't think there is any such general rule of obsolescence in economics. And especially when it comes to a branded thing which can be modified, obsolescence would then seem to be a choice of the designers and not a fundamental phenomenon to be reckoned with.

Comment author: MrMind 06 June 2014 09:26:07AM *  0 points [-]

When do you imagine guns or butter will finally be obsolete?

Guns or butter? Probably never. A gun or some brand of butter? You do the math...

Just as LW is not "the online community", but just a (very specific) online cummunity. And it needs to cater to its audience, otherwise... It's luck is that it's just very well focused, we need to recognize this and make it more marketable.

Which is to say I don't think there is any such general rule of obsolescence in economics.

Technology is a big component in every model of economic growth, and by definition technological progress makes some other things obsolete.

Comment author: Lumifer 05 June 2014 02:44:23PM 0 points [-]

When do you imagine guns or butter will finally be obsolete?

Once everyone uploads :-P

Comment author: roystgnr 06 June 2014 10:52:50PM 2 points [-]

I've never managed to figure out how the transition from "population can double in a few decades" to "population can double as fast a forkbomb" is supposed to reduce scarcity.