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People who seriously think a basic income future is desirable should invest the bulk of their research efforts in automation technology. How do you build a full
by objectivistbrit 10y ago
People who seriously think a basic income future is desirable should invest the bulk of their research efforts in automation technology. How do you build a fully automated farm? How do you build a fully automated factory and logistics network? How do you build a fully automated hospital? How do you build robots capable of maintaining and fixing all these automated systems?
All these things are way beyond current technology. If they could be built, we'd effectively be in a Star Trek post-scarcity economy, and money would probably no longer be needed. That day is a long way off, though.
- endswapper 10y agoAutomation is reality. Industry 4.0's path is being charted as we type, and this is posted today in terms of logistics: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12575147 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12575147 There are things like hospitals that will be tougher to tackle. Money is the currency of power, and I don't see us abandoning power any time soon. So, "Star Trek post-scarcity economy?" I don't think so. However, we will likely experience a temporary(perhaps decades) imbalance between the supply and demand of human labor. In that time, elements of a basic income, or practical equivalents will rise. I'm not necessarily an advocate of basic income, but an advocate for the basic welfare of everyone.
- rasapetter 10y agoIt isn't all or nothing. For farms, factories and hospitals, full automation would be desirable but we might not achieve that in a very long time. But what if we reach, say, 20% in ten years, 50% in twenty and 80% in thirty. At some point we are going to have to figure out what the increasing number of unemployed people are going to live of. Why not start early?