Back in 1750, there were no complex machines in use, except for church clocks. There was no power for machines other than primitive windmills, water wheels and the pulleys with weights that drove church clocks.

We have changed amazingly since 1750, but the truly dramatic changes are yet to come. If we get things right, we have the potential to create a Neo-Renaissance, fundamentally different from the Renaissance centered around Florence in the 16th and 17th centuries. Later this century there will be ubiquitous computer power, fully automated factories, and intelligent robots doing most of the jobs that people do today. If implemented in an enlightened way, people will become used to having a large amount of leisure time, and the arts and humanities will flourish.