The problem is, what one era defines as "economic development" may be seen by a subsequent era economic destruction -- an activity whose long-term social, environmental and other costs far outweigh the shorter-term benefits. Bound by personal or contemporary scientific ignorance of humankind's ability to wreak havoc on global ecosystems, indiscriminate leftist technophiles like Marx and Woody Guthrie are no more to be trusted as accurate analysts of "negative externalities" than the most greed-blinded capitalist. To say that ongoing technological innovation is essential is truistic; the question as always is, what *kind* of innovation? Clearly, for instance, it is folly to continue to make heavy continuing investment in internal-combustion-vehicles that contribute to global warming and other pollution. There is an overriding global social need for alternative power sources to be the principal focus of R&D. Simply to give blank-check endorsement to any and all forms of "innovation" as an undeniable social boon is senseless.
Carl
_________________________________________________________________ http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_pcmag_0507