Technical innovation followed capitalist social relations rather than dictating them

Evidence

Eventually, however, the factory system did win out on technical grounds. The reasons are interesting in light of our discussion of technolog­ ical determinism. First, because only the capitalist producer had the finan­ cial resources to invest heavily in new machinery. Inventors sought to meet their needs by gearing their innovations to types compatible with the social relations of factory production. Second, because of the large number of independent producers, it would have been impossible to protect patent rights; whereas, the large size of the capitalist firm provided a stable and conspicuous market for the inventor. Third, many inventors aimed at ally­ ing with a capitalist partner and going into production for themselves. … All these factors lent to the pattern of technical innovation a strong bias toward the hierarchical, fragmented production relationships of the capital­ ist firm. Rather than technology merely dictating the social form of produc­ tion, the reverse occurred sufficiently widely to cast strong doubt on the usual technological determinism. — Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, Schooling in Capitalist America, 760

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: Core inverted-causality argument — technology as endogenous to class power — resisting the standard technological-determinism frame. This deserves long retention.
• XREF: connects to: Technological determinism falsely credits tools alone with causing social change — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 59; The Industrial Revolution transformed social organization of work, not just technology — Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, Schooling in Capitalist America:…, 557; Competition among capitalists structurally demands constant technological change — Nick Srnicek, Platform Capitalism, 21 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Competition among capitalists structurally demands constant technological change #corroborates (0.85) — Nick Srnicek, Platform Capitalism, 21
• Capitalists themselves are compelled to innovate by impersonal market forces #corroborates (0.82) — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 124
• Technological innovation is pushed from behind, not pulled toward a goal #qualifies (0.75) — Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity, 394