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If you don't operate under the assumption that people will work to improve their skills and learn so as to become functional and contributing members of society

If you don't operate under the assumption that people will work to improve their skills and learn so as to become functional and contributing members of society, you're committing to a static society or complete dependence on the government. People need to start acting like a job isn't a right but something you earn. If you think the current disruption is meaningful, just wait 10 to 20 years for robots to replace almost all service jobs in a very short time

gnaritas 15y ago
> you're committing to a static society You say that as if it's a given bad thing, it isn't; humans lived in virtually static societies for most of their existence; the current rate of change is simply too fast for most people and is itself not the norm. It's like we're trying to become the Morlocks and the Eloi.
- ivankirigin 15y ago
  Let me know your opinion on static societies when you or someone you love gets diagnosed with a currently terminal disease. Or, on a grander scale, a static human race is doomed to extinction by the next large asteroid.
orky56 15y ago
"a job isn't a right but something you earn" I definitely agree but when you are at a company who has employed you for a long time and have been doing your job well, then who's not to say that now unemployed person hasn't earned that job. The time spent at that job performing well could have been spent learning some new in-demand skill but think of the opportunity cost. Now when these people are unemployed, do we really think society has provided the motivation, resources, and most importantly, direction, to change their view on career and development. It's a very big step and I believe its naive to think that unemployment is an event actionable enough to make someone switch their mentality.
- ivankirigin 15y ago
  I don't really put blame on individuals. I think they are socialized to make their poor decisions. I mainly blame our educational institutions and government for telling people for decades that they will be taken care of when down. It's a lie, but comes with a bonus of placating people.
rbarooah 15y ago
I think this is pretty accurate, however there is a potential structural problem: entry level, or low level jobs in general don't pay people enough to invest time or resources in improving their skills - certainly not for longer term shifts in the economy. "Earning" a job, implies that people invest their own resources in preparing themselves for the future. I am vehemently in favor of that as a general way for society to operate. However, this vision requires that people have sufficient resources to make these investments. Given the increasing disparities of resource allocation that we're seeing, why should we assume that this is possible?
- ivankirigin 15y ago
  In all of human history, it has never been easier than today to learn something new.

gnaritas 15y ago

> you're committing to a static society You say that as if it's a given bad thing, it isn't; humans lived in virtually static societies for most of their existence; the current rate of change is simply too fast for most people and is itself not the norm. It's like we're trying to become the Morlocks and the Eloi.

ivankirigin 15y ago
Let me know your opinion on static societies when you or someone you love gets diagnosed with a currently terminal disease. Or, on a grander scale, a static human race is doomed to extinction by the next large asteroid.

orky56 15y ago

"a job isn't a right but something you earn" I definitely agree but when you are at a company who has employed you for a long time and have been doing your job well, then who's not to say that now unemployed person hasn't earned that job. The time spent at that job performing well could have been spent learning some new in-demand skill but think of the opportunity cost. Now when these people are unemployed, do we really think society has provided the motivation, resources, and most importantly, direction, to change their view on career and development. It's a very big step and I believe its naive to think that unemployment is an event actionable enough to make someone switch their mentality.

ivankirigin 15y ago
I don't really put blame on individuals. I think they are socialized to make their poor decisions. I mainly blame our educational institutions and government for telling people for decades that they will be taken care of when down. It's a lie, but comes with a bonus of placating people.

rbarooah 15y ago

I think this is pretty accurate, however there is a potential structural problem: entry level, or low level jobs in general don't pay people enough to invest time or resources in improving their skills - certainly not for longer term shifts in the economy. "Earning" a job, implies that people invest their own resources in preparing themselves for the future. I am vehemently in favor of that as a general way for society to operate. However, this vision requires that people have sufficient resources to make these investments. Given the increasing disparities of resource allocation that we're seeing, why should we assume that this is possible?

ivankirigin 15y ago
In all of human history, it has never been easier than today to learn something new.