The Economist - USA (2019-12-21)

TheEconomistDecember 21st 2019 57

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bouta centuryago,engineerscreateda newsortofspace:
thecontrolroom.Beforethen,thingsthatneededcontrolwere
controlledbypeopleonthespot.Butasdistrictheatingsystems,
railwaynetworks,electricgridsandthelikegrewmorecomplex,it
begantomakesensetoputthecontrolsallinoneplace.Dialsand
lightbulbs broughtthewaytheworldwasworkingintotheroom.
Levers,stopcocks,switchesandbuttonssentdecisionsbackout.
Bythe1960scontrolroomshadbecomea powerfuliconofthe
modern. AtMissionControlin Houston,youngmen inhorn
rimmedglassesandcrewcutssentcommandstospacecrafthead-
ingfortheMoon.Inthespaceseenthroughtelevisionsets,travel-
lersexploringstrangenewworldsdidsowithinaniconiccontrol
roomoftheirown:thebridgeofStarTrek’sUSSEnterprise.
A hexagonalroombuiltinSantiagodeChilea decadelaterfitted
rightintothesamephilosophy—andaesthetic.Ithadanarrayof
screensfullofnumbersandarrows.Itwaslinkedtoa powerful
computer.It hadfuturisticswivelchairs,completewithgeometric
buttonsinthearmreststocontrolthedisplays.UnliketheJohnson
SpaceCentreandtheEnterprise, it evenhada smallbarwhereoccu-
pantscouldservethemselvesdrinksaftera hardday’scontrolling.
Theoperationsroomof“ProjectCybersyn”(shortfor“cybernet-
icssynergy”)wascreatedbyChile’spresidentSalvadorAllendein
theearly1970sasa placefromwhichthecountry’snewlynation-
alisedandsocialisedeconomycouldbedirected.Tobuildit,Allen-
dehadhiredStaffordBeer,a Britishconsultant,whorequisitioned

a mainframecomputerandconnectedittotelexma-

chinesinfactories.Industrialmanagerswouldinput

datawhichwouldthenbecentrallyanalysed;instruc-

tionsforanynecessarychangeswouldbesentback.

Ironically,thesocialistsystem’smostnotablesuc-

cesswasinoutmanoeuvringlorrydriverswhosestrike

threatenedto bringdown Allende’sgovernmentin

1972.AfterChile’sgeneralsstormedthepresidential

palaceonSeptember11th 1973 andAllendekilledhim-

self,Cybersynwasdestroyed:a soldierissaidtohave

stabbedallthescreensintheoperationsroomwith

a knife.

Itwasa bloodyreprisalofa thenhalf-century-old

debateabouthowbesttorunaneconomy.Allendehad

thoughtthat,withstate-of-the-art1970scommunica-

tionsandcomputers,itwouldbepossibleforgovern-

menttooptimiseanindustrialeconomy.TheChicago-

schooleconomistsadvisingPinochetinChilethought

thatthefargreaterinformation-processingcapacityof

themarketwoulddobetter.InChiletheiropinionwas

imposedbyforce.

The success of market- and semi-market-based

economies since then has made the notion of a

plannedeconomyseemlikea thingofthepast.But

werealatter-dayAllendetobuildaCybersyn2.0it

BewaretheBorg

BEIJING AND SAN FRANCISCO

Essay A future of command economies and
cybernetic dictatorship needs to be feared,
but not expected

Holiday essay

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