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A thought experiment: What would happen if we remove all "automated" things like factories, robots, cars. We'd have lots of things to do, labor shortages every

A thought experiment: What would happen if we remove all "automated" things like factories, robots, cars. We'd have lots of things to do, labor shortages everywhere. But would you think the median worker would be better off? And wouldn't you think that in the 18th century the automation of manual work through factories should have resulted in huge unemployment today? You need to reconcile these thoughts with your claims before you dismiss automation. My own take is: "Automation" leads to lower prices for everyone. In a sense, automation is the thing that increases your purchasing power by letting you buy more (of the automated good) for the same money. It's not a wage increase but its effect is the same for the good/service automated. And yes, a manual worker might lose his job, but all others + all coming generations and there included his personal offspring will benefit from that. Now what's better in the long run?

benj111 8y ago
The great thing about automation is that it allows us to make so much more with each unit of labour, so we can afford so much stuff. The downside of automation is that we have to keep on buying more stuff so that everyone has a job, and to keep the wheels turning. Automation of all those jobs in the 18th century did lead to everyone getting better off and that was good because most people didn't have enough. Today (in the west at least) most people have enough. There's a limit to how much stuff you can buy, money is increasingly directed into property etc. And the jobs are becoming increasing less useful (service jobs growth, marketing job growth v traditional blue collar, white collar job stagnation / shrinkage). To continue your thought experiment. What is everything were automated? No one would have a job to buy anything. I guess that's where the basic income crowd is coming from. Its unclear how you get from here to there though.

benj111 8y ago

The great thing about automation is that it allows us to make so much more with each unit of labour, so we can afford so much stuff. The downside of automation is that we have to keep on buying more stuff so that everyone has a job, and to keep the wheels turning. Automation of all those jobs in the 18th century did lead to everyone getting better off and that was good because most people didn't have enough. Today (in the west at least) most people have enough. There's a limit to how much stuff you can buy, money is increasingly directed into property etc. And the jobs are becoming increasing less useful (service jobs growth, marketing job growth v traditional blue collar, white collar job stagnation / shrinkage). To continue your thought experiment. What is everything were automated? No one would have a job to buy anything. I guess that's where the basic income crowd is coming from. Its unclear how you get from here to there though.