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I think human beings have been doing manual labor since they emerged from the forests 50k years ago: hunter/gathering, agriculture(pre-industrialization) Manua

I think human beings have been doing manual labor since they emerged from the forests 50k years ago: hunter/gathering, agriculture(pre-industrialization) Manual labor is our default condition. Everyone can do manual labor, or they can eventually get in shape enough to do it.

dragonwriter 8y ago
> I think human beings have been doing manual labor since they emerged from the forests 50k years ago Believe it or not, the conditions humans live in now are different than 50K years ago; it's much more common for someone able to survive to adulthood without being able to do manual labor now. > Everyone can do manual labor, or they can eventually get in shape enough to do it. Stephen Hawking, for a fairly extreme and well-known example, was quite capable of knowledge work, but could not have done manual labor, and could not have gotten in shape to do such labor, either.
- nickthemagicman 8y ago
  Sorry I should say 99.9(repeating)% of people. The industrial revolution happened 300 years ago. We were farming and huntering/gathering for 50,000+ years before that. Our bodies have not lost the ability to do manual labor in under 10 generations.
  - dragonwriter 8y ago
    > Sorry I should say 99.9(repeating)% of people. That's exactly the same, and therefore exactly as wrong, as 100%. As of 2010, 12.2 million people in the US had disabilities for which they needed physical assistance with tasks like “doing housework, using the phone and preparing meals.” https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/miscellaneous/cb12-134.html https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/miscellane...
protomyth 8y ago
> Manual labor is our default condition. It might have been our default condition, but it certainly isn't now. Manual labor has evolved with the machines and techniques of civilization. Its been a while since ditch diggers weren't aided by mechanical assistance, and we've all met people who really cannot be trusted near anything with moving parts.
- nickthemagicman 8y ago
  Anecdotal. Anyone can learn to do manual labor. The industrial revolution happened 300 years ago. We were farming and huntering/gathering for 50,000+ years before that. Our bodies have not lost the ability to do manual labor in under 10 generations.
  - dragonwriter 8y ago
    > Our bodies have not lost the ability to do manual labor in under 10 generations. Our living conditions have substantially weakened the filters that prevent people likely to be unable to do manual labor from surviving to adulthood (if the problem manifests at birb) or surviving long after the condition arises (if it manifests later.)

dragonwriter 8y ago

> I think human beings have been doing manual labor since they emerged from the forests 50k years ago Believe it or not, the conditions humans live in now are different than 50K years ago; it's much more common for someone able to survive to adulthood without being able to do manual labor now. > Everyone can do manual labor, or they can eventually get in shape enough to do it. Stephen Hawking, for a fairly extreme and well-known example, was quite capable of knowledge work, but could not have done manual labor, and could not have gotten in shape to do such labor, either.

nickthemagicman 8y ago
Sorry I should say 99.9(repeating)% of people. The industrial revolution happened 300 years ago. We were farming and huntering/gathering for 50,000+ years before that. Our bodies have not lost the ability to do manual labor in under 10 generations.
- dragonwriter 8y ago
  > Sorry I should say 99.9(repeating)% of people. That's exactly the same, and therefore exactly as wrong, as 100%. As of 2010, 12.2 million people in the US had disabilities for which they needed physical assistance with tasks like “doing housework, using the phone and preparing meals.” https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/miscellaneous/cb12-134.html https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/miscellane...

protomyth 8y ago

> Manual labor is our default condition. It might have been our default condition, but it certainly isn't now. Manual labor has evolved with the machines and techniques of civilization. Its been a while since ditch diggers weren't aided by mechanical assistance, and we've all met people who really cannot be trusted near anything with moving parts.

nickthemagicman 8y ago
Anecdotal. Anyone can learn to do manual labor. The industrial revolution happened 300 years ago. We were farming and huntering/gathering for 50,000+ years before that. Our bodies have not lost the ability to do manual labor in under 10 generations.
- dragonwriter 8y ago
  > Our bodies have not lost the ability to do manual labor in under 10 generations. Our living conditions have substantially weakened the filters that prevent people likely to be unable to do manual labor from surviving to adulthood (if the problem manifests at birb) or surviving long after the condition arises (if it manifests later.)