Ephemeralization

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Ephemeralization is a term coined by R. Buckminster Fuller that refers to the ability of technological advancement to do "more and more with less and less until eventually you can do everything with nothing." Fuller’s vision was that ephemeralization will result in ever-increasing standards of living for an ever-growing population despite finite resources.

Fuller refers to Henry Ford’s assembly line as an example of how ephemeralization can continuously lead to better products at lower cost with no upper bound on productivity. Fuller saw ephemeralization as an inevitable trend in human development. The progression was from “compression” to “tension” to “visual” to “abstract electrical” (i.e., nonsensorial radiation, such as radio waves, x rays, etc.).

This method sometimes occured by something trending bigger and larger until it could no longer sustain its own growth and maneuverability, and then soon a new model that was smaller than the last would start small, then grow, and then be replaced by a new technology. For example, ground transportation began with the horse, progressed to the chariot, the train, and finally the automobile.

Length measurement technologies in human development, for example, started with a compressive measure, such as a ruler. The compressive technique reached an upper limit with a rod. For longer measures, a tensive measure such as a string or rope was used. This reached an upper limit with sagging of the string. Next was a surveyor’s telescope (visual). This reached an upper limit with curvature of the earth. Next was radio triangulation (abstract electrical). The technological progression is a continuing increase in length-measuring ability per pound of instrument, with no apparent upper limit. ^[1]

[edit] Consequences to society

Heyligen^[2] , Alvin Toffler, and others have written about how ephemeralization, though it may increase our power to solve physical problems, can make non-physical problems much worse. Increasing system complexity and information overload make it difficult and stressful for the people who must control the ephemeralized systems. This can negate the advantages of ephemeralization.