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This is a classic economic fallacy. Invention of the plow improved efficiency and killed jobs, invention of the sewing machine improved efficiency and killed jo

by jgmmo 15y ago

This is a classic economic fallacy. Invention of the plow improved efficiency and killed jobs, invention of the sewing machine improved efficiency and killed jobs, invention of the computer improved efficiency and killed jobs. They killed jobs in the short run but they made everyone in society better off on the whole. Sure, some workers had to be retrained -- and some workers could never find a job again. However such is progress. We are better off now because the next generation doesn't have to all be farmers, some can do this or that. It is a good thing when we require less humans to do the same amount of work than before. It means we free up human capital for more valuable uses. Because of the advancements in technology their children will have jobs that never could have existed if we still needed 90% of our population to farm just so that we would not starve. Now like 1% of our population is farmers. It's progress. Read: 'The Choice' by Russell Roberts Read: 'Economic Facts and Fallacies' by Thomas Sowell Read: 'Economics in One Lesson' by Henry Hazlitt

prodigal_erik 15y ago
I agree it's a long-term improvement, but if "some workers could never find a job again" happens to the majority all at once, they aren't going to quietly starve.
- jgmmo 15y ago
  Anyone who is willing and able to transition to another way of earning a living, will. The majority of workers being replaced are not unwilling to find a new way earn a living, it's only the very old and the very stubborn that will have a difficult time finding their career 2.0
  - prodigal_erik 15y ago
    But earning a living doing what? I think that's why we're all having this conversation. If I got laid off today because someone finally wrote the ultimate software development AI, I have no idea what I would do instead. This seems to be one of the only career paths left with substantial unmet demand momentarily sheltering me from the Iron Law of Wages, and I lucked out in being obsessed with it.

by jgmmo 15y ago

prodigal_erik 15y ago

I agree it's a long-term improvement, but if "some workers could never find a job again" happens to the majority all at once, they aren't going to quietly starve.

jgmmo 15y ago
Anyone who is willing and able to transition to another way of earning a living, will. The majority of workers being replaced are not unwilling to find a new way earn a living, it's only the very old and the very stubborn that will have a difficult time finding their career 2.0
- prodigal_erik 15y ago
  But earning a living doing what? I think that's why we're all having this conversation. If I got laid off today because someone finally wrote the ultimate software development AI, I have no idea what I would do instead. This seems to be one of the only career paths left with substantial unmet demand momentarily sheltering me from the Iron Law of Wages, and I lucked out in being obsessed with it.