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up vote 8 down vote favorite

Single word, please, preferably one derived from someone's name.

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Meaning someone who positively embraces, encourages and implements industrialisation? – Andrew Leach Jul 24 '12 at 7:51
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Are you looking for the accepted antonym, or feeling out apt possibilities? – crisis.sheep Jul 24 '12 at 7:55
Sorry Barrie - I agree with the others that it's Too Localised. Or even Not Constructive, since you can only expect to get a load of neologisms. To which I suppose I could add Gatesian, and Jobsian – FumbleFingers Jul 25 '12 at 3:14

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5 Answers

up vote 12 down vote accepted

Since Luddite describes the followers of one Ned Ludd who lead a movement against industrialization and in particular mechanized looms in 1811 or so, I will propose Cartwrightian since Edward (Edmund) Cartwright patented the power loom in 1785 and so his designs or variations thereon would probably have been the ones being destroyed by the Luddites.

But that may be too obscure for your use so technophile may be more appropriate.

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Yes, I think Cartwrightian will do for my purpose and you seem tohave got there before crisis.sheep (actually an inquiry from someone else). – Barrie England Jul 24 '12 at 9:35
up vote 8 down vote

The problem is, the Luddites were named after an individual who smashed machinery, whereas their opponents were the state or at least the businessmen of the time. So the original antonym would have been Industrialist. You could identify a specific individual who opposed them, but they never had a specific anti-luddite movement, so it would not be entire accurate.

If you are looking for modern antonyms, technophile is probably the best, but again, there is no single individual who is leading the drive for technological progress, so it is not reasonable to associate a name with the pro-technology movement.

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"there is no single individual who is leading the drive for technological progress" For what it's worth, as I read that, Steve Jobs popped into my head. (Not that that helps solve the Luddite antonym problem, but I thought it was worth a mention nonetheless.) – J.R. Jul 24 '12 at 8:42
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@J.R. - there are a few significant names, Jobs being one, that relate to Arkwright or Cartwright in other posts. But there are others - Berners-Lee, Gates, Bezos, for example - that specific technophobic Ludditism might be focused on. It is the same problem as the original Luddites. – Schroedingers Cat Jul 24 '12 at 10:48
up vote 3 down vote

Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) argued that progress is neither automatic nor continuous and does not measure knowledge or wealth, but is a painful and largely inadvertent passage from barbarism through civilization toward enlightened culture and the abolition of war. Kant called for education, with the education of humankind seen as a slow process whereby world history propels mankind toward peace through war, international commerce, and enlightened self-interest

I would say that Kantian is the word you are looking for. There are a lot more people following the Idea of Progress theory: John Locke, Voltaire, etc.

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up vote 2 down vote

"Technocrat" appears to be the best fit here.

Otherwise I propose "Arkwrightian", after Richard Arkwright, inventor of the water frame that contributed to the onset of the Industrial Revolution (specifically because Ludd is reputed to have destroyed knitting frames, as Wiki has it).

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Arkwright occurred to me, too; although I don't think one can make an adjective out of it. I think one would need to speak of "a modern-day Arkwright" -- and hope that readers' historical knowledge is up to interpreting the reference! – Andrew Leach Jul 24 '12 at 8:50
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Sorry, if I read the phrase "a modern-day Arkwright", I would think of the old comedy "Open All Hours". – user16269 Jul 24 '12 at 8:52
@DavidWallace Exactly :) – Andrew Leach Jul 24 '12 at 9:43
That was before my time, alas! – crisis.sheep Jul 24 '12 at 9:52
up vote 2 down vote

Because Luddites are viewed as resisting dramatic technical progress, I would suggest, with no awareness of any such prior use, either:

Buckminsterite

or

Fullerite

Mr. Fuller was notable for his drive to expand both the creation of new technology and its innovative implementation.

Maybe we can start a movement.

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