You can only run so much code with so many electrons. At a certain point, you run out of electrons.
Imagine a world in which there is just one person and the economy is just how big of a number this person can make on a computer.
If there is more than one person or more than one computer - you have less electrons at your disposal - because they're making up other people & computers respectively.
This is obviously very far into the future - but so is 8000 years!
Between 1960 and 1970 - global GDP increased by about ~$1T. That was about the same increase between 2018 and 2019 - even after adjusting for inflation.
That was a low-growth year for the last decade.
In the 1960s we had the entire space race and a lot of the modern computer (including the Internet).
If the trend continues, in another 60 years, we could accomplish about as much in a month. In another 120 years, about as much in a day. In another 120 years, about as much in an hour. Another 180 years, about as much in a minute, and in another 180 years, about as much in a second.
It's hard to argue you haven't hit the singularity at that point - and that's only 660 years away.
8000 years at this current growth rate would be truly unimaginably alien - and I'm not sure why everyone is convinced it could keep growing or would even need to.
If the population keeps growing at current rates - we'd have enough productivity for everyone to have a higher quality of life than Jeff Bezos does today in <700 years - at least, inflation adjusted, the average person on the planet would have >$15Bn in annual income.
Imagine a world in which there is just one person and the economy is just how big of a number this person can make on a computer.
If there is more than one person or more than one computer - you have less electrons at your disposal - because they're making up other people & computers respectively.
This is obviously very far into the future - but so is 8000 years!
Between 1960 and 1970 - global GDP increased by about ~$1T. That was about the same increase between 2018 and 2019 - even after adjusting for inflation.
That was a low-growth year for the last decade.
In the 1960s we had the entire space race and a lot of the modern computer (including the Internet).
If the trend continues, in another 60 years, we could accomplish about as much in a month. In another 120 years, about as much in a day. In another 120 years, about as much in an hour. Another 180 years, about as much in a minute, and in another 180 years, about as much in a second.
It's hard to argue you haven't hit the singularity at that point - and that's only 660 years away.
8000 years at this current growth rate would be truly unimaginably alien - and I'm not sure why everyone is convinced it could keep growing or would even need to.
If the population keeps growing at current rates - we'd have enough productivity for everyone to have a higher quality of life than Jeff Bezos does today in <700 years - at least, inflation adjusted, the average person on the planet would have >$15Bn in annual income.