Bertrand Russell wrote an essay to the same effect in 1935. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Praise_of_Idleness_and_Other_Essays http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_

Bertrand Russell wrote an essay to the same effect in 1935. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Praise_of_Idleness_and_Other_Essays http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Praise_of_Idleness_and_Other... The idea that we no longer need as much labor to sustain ourselves is nothing new. But it appears that we're completely willing to convert the surplus into improvements in quality of living. What we at one point might consider a creature comfort, we gradually elevate to the level of necessity. Cars, air conditioning, 2 day weekends. You name it.