3 ms·

While I'm not against robots per se, I do wonder why "working the fields" cannot be made a good job for humans? Without this job I foresee several potential pr

by cies 10y ago

While I'm not against robots per se, I do wonder why "working the fields" cannot be made a good job for humans? Without this job I foresee several potential problems: large unemployment, people leaving the countryside, many low paying jobs that feel meaningless to the workers.

JumpCrisscross 10y ago
> I do wonder why "working the fields" cannot be made a good job for humans It would make food expensive again. As of 2010, 1.6% of American and 14% of the world's workers worked in agriculture [1]. As recently as 1870, that figure for the United States was almost 50% [2]. Most of us prefer today's standard of living. [1] http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS [2] https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1981/11/art2full.pdf https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1981/11/art2full.pdf page 12
- cies 10y ago
  > It would make food expensive again. Yes. Expensive compared to other things. > Most of us prefer today's standard of living. Yet we've never been more depressed as a population...
slazaro 10y ago
This is why there's been lots of talk about basic income in relation to fears about unemployment because of automation.
pjc50 10y ago
> "working the fields" cannot be made a good job for humans Manual farm labour is extremely hard work, "stoop" labour causes back conditions, and man+machine agricultural labour has a history of accidents. People already have left the countryside in the West; farming is a few % of the population, plus seasonal immigrant/guest workers. I'm quite happy to be on this side of the agricultural revolution and increase the automation in farming. If we want meaningful jobs, we have to address the question of "meaning" directly, in the context of the society we wish to have.
- cies 10y ago
  Dunno but to me "working the fields" is more meaningful then being the marketing dude for some shitty consumer brands that cause more harm then good to the general population (yet because of the amazing marketing apparatus sell like hot cakes). Now if only the wage gap between the two jobs was not that big, I think many more people would realize this and be willing to do the hard labour of working the fields.
jpttsn 10y ago
Maybe "living in caves" should be likewise be made a good housing solution for humans?
walkon 10y ago
> I do wonder why "working the fields" cannot be made a good job for humans? You'll get your answer by working in the fields for a few weeks.
- cies 10y ago
  Loved it. :)

by cies 10y ago

JumpCrisscross 10y ago

> I do wonder why "working the fields" cannot be made a good job for humans It would make food expensive again. As of 2010, 1.6% of American and 14% of the world's workers worked in agriculture [1]. As recently as 1870, that figure for the United States was almost 50% [2]. Most of us prefer today's standard of living. [1] http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS [2] https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1981/11/art2full.pdf https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1981/11/art2full.pdf page 12

cies 10y ago
> It would make food expensive again. Yes. Expensive compared to other things. > Most of us prefer today's standard of living. Yet we've never been more depressed as a population...

slazaro 10y ago

This is why there's been lots of talk about basic income in relation to fears about unemployment because of automation.

pjc50 10y ago

> "working the fields" cannot be made a good job for humans Manual farm labour is extremely hard work, "stoop" labour causes back conditions, and man+machine agricultural labour has a history of accidents. People already have left the countryside in the West; farming is a few % of the population, plus seasonal immigrant/guest workers. I'm quite happy to be on this side of the agricultural revolution and increase the automation in farming. If we want meaningful jobs, we have to address the question of "meaning" directly, in the context of the society we wish to have.

cies 10y ago
Dunno but to me "working the fields" is more meaningful then being the marketing dude for some shitty consumer brands that cause more harm then good to the general population (yet because of the amazing marketing apparatus sell like hot cakes). Now if only the wage gap between the two jobs was not that big, I think many more people would realize this and be willing to do the hard labour of working the fields.

jpttsn 10y ago

Maybe "living in caves" should be likewise be made a good housing solution for humans?

walkon 10y ago

> I do wonder why "working the fields" cannot be made a good job for humans? You'll get your answer by working in the fields for a few weeks.

cies 10y ago
Loved it. :)