Drip by Drip

We are at a fascinating and fearful juncture. The Second Industrial Revolution of the late nineteenth century remains a global force of social and political change, one that profoundly impacts the economic lives of billions of people. Henry Ford’s legacy persists, despite the onset and geographic unevenness of deindustrialization, especially here in North America. Meanwhile, the post-1970s Third Industrial Revolution of automation, computerization, and digitization is in full bloom, simultaneously accelerating deindustrialization, enabling neoliberalism to flourish, and cementing the Information Age.

Driven by artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, the Fourth Industrial Revolution of advanced computing, roboticization, and cyberproduction is already at hand, promising even greater workplace and societal disruption. This profound dislocation will unleash previously unimaginable consumptive, information, transportation, and communications...