Re: [ox] [Fwd: verletzte bei heftiger Angriff auf Projektwerkstatt]
- From: <graham belegost.mit.edu>
- Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 18:50:55 -0400 (EDT)
Hi all,
This is really a question for Stefan Mz, so if it has already been
discussed on the list maybe (if he has time!) any reply should be
off-list? Or not?
Re the '2nd algorithmic revolution' thesis, I have 2 (I think related)
problems.
1. Algorithms are claimed to be 'zeitslogik'. But there is an
equivalence between time and space in many cases: algorithms can be space
or time intensive (or sequential (time) or parallel (space)). (would that
give 'raumslogik'?)
For production, space intensive logic applies mainly to the organization
of the productive process. When a skilled artisan works, he cannot
simply be duplicated; the entire productive process is sequential.
But the capitalist productive process breaks up
the task into smaller pieces which involve more abstract work, where
workers are more interchangeable, and then it is possible to duplicate
workers to increase production. A kind of parallelization of production;
the entire productive process is then organized as an algorithm with
a mix of parallel and sequential parts.
2. There are many modern products that have very low material cost to
reproduce, that have a price almost completely unrelated to their
(direct and indirect) labour value. With these products the same issues
arise as with software. In particular, medicine, as shown in South Africa
over the last few weeks. It is very hard for me to see any connection
between medicine and (time-based!) algorithms. Yet the issues of why
something that can be reproduced nearly for free is not allowed to be
reproduced are the same as for software. Is it possible to broaden
the algorithm argument to include such things?
Or I have I simply misunderstood? (I'm going from what I followed
of your talk, rather than the printed text)
all the best,
Graham
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