Understanding technological obsolescence through Taoist cyclical time rather than linear progress, revealing patterns of inevitable decay and renewal.
Western technology culture embraces linear time: newer is better, progress is inevitable, the old must be discarded. Taoist philosophy recognizes cyclical time where seasons return, systems naturally decay, and renewal emerges from dissolution. Applied to sustainable technology, this reframes obsolescence not as failure but as natural rhythm. A smartphone's lifespan of three years isn't a bug to engineer away but a season to design for. Cyclical thinking suggests that rather than fighting planned obsolescence, sustainable design should embrace designed regeneration: technologies built to be disassembled, components harvested for new systems, materials returned to biological or technical cycles. This aligns with circular economy principles. Laozi would suggest that the company fighting against obsolescence through artificial durability works against nature; the company designing for elegant dissolution and material recovery flows with time's current. Understanding technology through seasonal cycles rather than linear timelines reveals pathways to sustainability that feel natural rather than imposed.
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