I think a civilization can be unimaginably rich and still have imaginably poor people toiling away at lower levels. With a laissez-faire system, the economic f

I think a civilization can be unimaginably rich and still have imaginably poor people toiling away at lower levels. With a laissez-faire system, the economic factors would decide whether machine or man labor is the most cost effective resource. When the mechanized means of production become more intelligent, faster, and accurate, what can the man or woman without any machines of their own do for money? They could work for less than the machines in dangerous conditions, doing the type of work that machines are too valuable for. The optimist can also imagine a utopia where the need to labor vanishes and we collectively benefit from advances in science and technology, but that’s not a given.