Editing Technocracy movement (section)

==Technocrats' plan==
In a publication from 1938 Technocracy Inc. the main organization made the following statement in defining their proposal:

<blockquote>
Technocracy is the science of social engineering, the scientific operation of the entire social mechanism to produce and distribute goods and services to the entire population of this continent. For the first time in human history it will be done as a scientific, technical, engineering problem. There will be no place for Politics or Politicians, Finance or Financiers, Rackets or Racketeers. Technocracy states that this method of operating the social mechanism of the [[North America|North American Continent]] is now mandatory because we have passed from a state of actual scarcity into the present status of potential abundance in which we are now held to an artificial scarcity forced upon us in order to continue a [[Price System]] which can distribute goods only by means of a medium of exchange. Technocracy states that price and abundance are incompatible; the greater the abundance the smaller the price. In a real abundance there can be no price at all. Only by abandoning the interfering price control and substituting a scientific method of production and distribution can an abundance be achieved. Technocracy will distribute by means of a certificate of distribution available to every citizen from birth to death. The Technate will encompass the entire [[North America|American Continent]] from Panama to the [[North Pole]] because the [[natural resources]] and the natural boundary of this area make it an independent, self-sustaining geographical unit.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/TheTechnocrat-September1937|title=The Technocrat - Vol. 3 - No. 4 - September 1937|date=September 29, 1937|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
</blockquote>

===Calendar===
[[File:Technocracy-Calendar.png|thumb|A technocratic work schedule]]

The technocratic movement planned to reform the work schedule, to achieve the goal of uninterrupted production, maximizing the efficiency and profitability of resources, transport and entertainment facilities, avoiding the "weekend effect".<ref name="eisner">Henry Elsner, ''The Technocrats : Prophets of Automation'', Syracuse University Press, 1967</ref>

According to the movement's calculations, it would be enough that every citizen worked a cycle of four consecutive days, four hours a day, followed by three days off. By "tiling" the days and working hours of seven groups, industry and services could be operated [[24/7|24 hours a day, seven days a week]]. This system would include holiday periods allocated to each citizen.<ref name="eisner"/>

=== Continental accounting system ===
From the previous research of the Technical Alliance's energy survey of North America, Technocracy Inc. leaders stated that a few key points need to be realized in order for a healthy distribution of resources can be efficiently made.

# Register on a continuous 24-hour time period basis the total net conversion of energy, which would determine
## the availability of energy for continental plant construction and maintenance,
## the amount of physical wealth available in the form of consumable goods and services for consumption by the total population during the balanced load period
# by means of the registration of energy converted and consumed, make possible a balanced load
# provide a continuous 24-hour inventory of all production and consumption
# provide a specific registration of the type, kind, size, etc., of all goods and services, where produced, and where used
# provide specific registration of the consumption of each individual, plus a record and description of the individual
# allow the citizen the widest latitude of choice in consuming one's individual share of continental physical wealth
# distribute goods and services to every member of the population<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/theenergycertifi00unse/page/12/mode/2up |title="The Energy Certificate." New York: Technocracy Inc., 1938. 22pp (two copies) |date=1938 |others=University of Alberta Archives}}</ref>

==== The energy certificate and the energy distribution card ====
Replacing the price system meant figuring out a new means of measuring distribution that also needed to be based on science. This lead to the technocrats concluding that measurements by units of energy was the most logical thing to do, although Thorstein Veblen's "The Engineers and the Price System" did not talk about price by energy, nor did William Henry Smyth's technocracy social universals.

Technocrats rationalized that the flow of energy can be what determines a price by energy. With the usage of all forms of energy units, especially having emphasis on the [[erg]] and [[Joule|joules]]. They came up with "energy certificates," which would have a table with the information of a citizen's identification, age, sex, occupation/location, energy allotment, purchases made, the issued date and expiration date of the certificates, formatted in a [[Dewey Decimal Classification|Dewey Decimal System]]. Each individual would be issued a booklet of the certificates.  This was sometimes called an "energy distribution card."<ref name=":0" />
[[File:Energy Certificate.png|frame|the energy certificate[[File:Technocracy Technate ID Card.jpg|336x336px]]the energy distribution card]]

Technocrats held that the differences between energy accounting and monetary systems are:
* equal allotments of energy
** it was suggested that citizens under the workforce age (25) would still have an allowance of energy totally independent from parents or guardians
** retired citizens(45) would still get their allotments
** citizens out of work would still receive their allotments<ref name="loeb" />
* citizens cannot trade or give away certificates. They can only spend energy at verified vendors
* once a purchase is made at a vendor, the energy used is made void; the vendor does not gain the used energy. Therefore there is no circulation of energy or hoarding of energy
* the certificates have an expiration date. Any energy not used will become void, and on a given date the citizen will receive their new allotment of energy. Once again no citizen can hoard energy
* certificates are directly tied to an individual's ID. Therefore it cannot be stolen or used by someone else<ref name=":0" />

====Computerization====

The term "[[computer]]" wasn't used much by Howard Scott, but when it was, he used it with great optimism. Scott said technocracy's C.A.S., energy certificates, and Dewey decimal system were a more paper-based way of tracking computation; the [[IBM]] computers were exactly the kind of devices a C.A.S. would want to deploy. Scott insisted that "one of the big troubles with all of this is that your computers is going to do away with your accountants and your engineers, and it is also going to do away with your executives, as well as the blue collar and the white collar, so more power to all of the computer control mechanisms."<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Technocracy Inc. |url=https://archive.org/details/TheWordsAndWisdomOfHowardScott/TheWordsAndWisdomOfHowardScott-Volumes1-2-3/page/n1461/mode/2up?q=computer&view=theater |title=The Words and Wisdom of Howard Scott |language=English}}</ref>

A year after Scott's passing, Chile started [[Project Cybersyn]], a computerized system intended to track the economy. Philosophies of computerized government also popped up; see [[cyberocracy]]. Engineers are the central profession of technocracy's foundation, so claiming that they too will be replaced by automation is a big deal coming from a technocrat.{{fact|reason="Presumably this point has been made in a citable work discussing Technocracy, so include one here."|date=April 2025}} Over the years, software for [[computer-aided design]] and the 2022 revolution of [[large language model]]s brought hysteria that engineers and software developers would be replaced by [[artificial intelligence]].{{fact|reason="Citation needed for this, especially for the editorialized characterization of such concern as 'hysteria'."|date=April 2025}}

==== Growth curves ====
Justification for such a radical economy was heavily demonstrated through technocracy's [[growth curve (statistics)|growth curves]] of [[economic equilibrium]].
[[File:Technocracy graph physicalTrends.png|center|frame|Physical trends that shape America's destiny]]
Their chart of "Irreversible Physical Trends Shape America's Destiny," was a continuation of the Technical Alliance's energy survey of North America, with the graph being created by the Committee of Technocracy. Upon completion, the energy survey was approximately going to have 3,000 charts finished, with every field of industry being analyzed.<ref name=":3" /> 

According to Dr. Rautenstrauch the committee found that the formulas technocracy worked out from business enterprise, greatly resembled the biological growth curves charted by [[Raymond Pearl]]'s "Studies in Human Biology." The committee compared the [[Verhulst-Pearl equation|Pearl-Reed equation]] to several major growth charts from U.S. industries; fitting similarly.

A foundation of technocracy's arguments was made with said chart. What it shows is that pre-[[Industrial Revolution|industrial revolution]] civilization primarily generated its consumer goods from human energy—human labor. And after the industrial revolution happened, a flip in dynamic changed. Resulting in greater energy output with less human toil. Machinery enable for more efficient work without human muscle. To the technocrats, this shift of equilibrium was going to lead to rapid [[technological unemployment]] with no plan for the price system to navigate distribution of wealth to the unemployed population.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/whatistechnocrac00tech/page/64/mode/2up |title=What is Technocracy |date=1933 |others=University of Alberta Archives}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bqPXqYWHlE |title=Technocracy full presentation |date=2013-04-14 |last=unitetechnocrats |access-date=2024-12-09 |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GbxKim-LjM |title="Technocracy '101' " - Ron Miller |date=2014-06-10 |last=Technocracy Incorporated |access-date=2024-12-09 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

=== The technate ===
Technocracy looked for large areas with bountiful resources to enable self sufficiency. A "technate" is practically a large body of land governed by a technocracy that only needs minimal trade.<ref name="loeb" />

Technocrats had a strong belief in [[continentalism]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Technocracy Inc. |url=https://archive.org/details/ContinentalismTheMandateOfSurvival/mode/2up |title=Continentalism: The Mandate Of Survival - 1947 |date=1947}}</ref> Scott mentioned that in the case of forming a North American Technate would be like forming a [[federation]] or union under the guidance of technocracy. Areas engaging in continentalism are the [[Soviet Union|U.S.S.R]] and the [[European Union]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" />
[[File:BRM4117-Technate-of-America-1940 lowres2-3000x2088.jpg|left|thumb|440x440px|The North American technate]]

[[File:Technate continental hydrology.png|thumb|414x414px|Technate Hydrology]]

==== Continental hydrology ====
A radical plan to transform the technate's mode of transportation was to have total control over all rivers and lakes across the continent. Travel by ship was faster than car or train at the time. The continental [[hydrology]] would end up linking several rivers. It also aimed to help monitor erosion of the country, generate power, and be educational for students.

This plan faced criticism for being a project that would destroy several habitats.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Technocracy |first=Secretary CHQ |title=Continental Design |url=https://www.technocracyinc.org/continental-design/ |access-date=2024-12-10 |website=Technocracy Inc. - Official Site |language=en-US}}</ref>
[[File:Technocracy-administration.jpg|thumb|314x314px|Technate administration chart]]

==== Technocracy organization ====
Technocracy laid out a grand scheme to organize a new government. There are a few distinct layers; the continental director, continental board, special sequences, functional sequences, and area board.

All directors are appointed from top down, with the only exception being the continental director, because no position is above it; the continental director is chosen from area control by the continental board.

The continental directors help oversee the continent. Additionally, the continental director can be thrown out should two-thirds of the continental board say so.

The continental board consists of the area control.

Technocrats wanted to divide the technate into regional divisions for administration, and decided to use the earth's latitude and longitude as a basis for calculating a "quadrangle" setup.

{{Quote|text=By this system we shall define a regional division to be a quadrangle bounded by two successive degrees of longitude and two successive degrees of latitude. The number assigned to each regional division will be that of the combined longitude and latitude of the point at the southeast corner of the quadrangle. Thus the regional division in which New York City is located is 7340; Cleveland, 8141; St. Louis, 9038; Chicago, 8741; Los Angeles, 11834; Mexico City, 9919; Edmonton, 11353, etc.}}

Functional sequences are filled based on what the requirements of the regional division needs are, and can be added or removed as such.

It is in this effort that the technocrats aimed to totally organize both the economic system and the government as a blend of each other. This functional government would then work towards making the continental accounting sSystem a reality.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Technocracy Inc. |url=https://archive.org/details/TechnocracyStudyCourse1945/TechnocracyStudyCourse/page/n227/mode/2up |title=Technocracy Study Course |date=1945}}</ref>

=== Practicable Soviet of Technicians ===
[[File:SovietofTechnicians.png|thumb|Organization chart described in the Engineers and the Price System]]
Thorstein Veblen outlined what it would take for engineers to manage a country's economy. Praising the idea that technicians in places of trust is an excellent idea. Veblen concluded that engineers in all fields would need to work together in accounting for all aspects of the industrial system.

Veblen loosely proposed a trilateral administration; three large councils of engineers that would lead into a central council.

* Central directorate
** Executive council of resource engineers
** Executive council of production engineers
** Advisory council of production economists<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Veblen |first=Thorstein |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924013939149/mode/2up |title=The engineers and the price system |date=1921 |publisher=New York, B.W. Huebsch, inc. |others=Cornell University Library}}</ref>

Veblen also argued that people educated in business would need to be banned from positions of trust. Believing that those who understand traditional economics thought too much like a businessperson and in doing so, bring the inefficient ideals that technocracy is trying to solve.

In point: "By force of habit, men trained to a businesslike view of what is right and real will be irretrievably biased against any plan of production and distribution that is not drawn in terms of commercial profit and loss and does not provide a margin of free income to go to absentee owners. The personal exceptions to the rule are apparently few."<ref name=":5" />