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The Dialectics of progress is the problem that when a society dedicates itself to certain standards and those standards change, it is harder to adapt. A society that hasn't committed itself yet will not have this problem. Thus, a society that at one point has a headstart over other societies, may at a later time be stuck with obsolete technology that gets in the way of further progress. A wellknown example of this is England, which was at the forefront of the industrial revolution in the 19th century, which later turned out to get in the way.
More in general, societies, companies and individuals are often confronted with the decision to either invest now and get a fast return or put off the investment until a new technology has emerged and possibly make a bigger profit then.
A wellknown problem for individuals is the decision when to buy a (new) computer. Computer speed develops at a steady pace, so if you put off the investment for one year, you may have to do with a slower (or no) computer for the first year, but after that (at the same price) you'll have a faster one. But usually the technological development is not so predictable.
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