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Good. If civilization isn't moving to improve quality of life, but to make sure that we keep working more and more, we have to ask ourselves what exactly is th

Good. If civilization isn't moving to improve quality of life, but to make sure that we keep working more and more, we have to ask ourselves what exactly is the point of technological progress.

agubelu 4y ago
I wholeheartedly agree. Our time here on Earth is limited, and I think that as a society we should aim to work less and have more time for ourselves and enjoy everyting life has to offer. The huge productivity increase in the last 40 years have been entirely siphoned into maximizing profits while working conditions have remained essentially stagnant, so I'd say it's about time to start making some progress on this front.
piva00 4y ago
If you are not familiar with it, may I present to you Bertrand Russell's "In Praise of Idleness". In 1920 he was already advocating exactly that.
- neom 4y ago
  Hello fellow Bertrand Russell fan??! I don't see his name come up on HN too often but really nice to see In Praise of Idleness mentioned. For anyone reading this who wants to consume some of his philosophy: In Praise of Idleness: And Other Essays - https://www.amazon.com/Praise-Idleness-Routledge-Classics-46/dp/0415325064 https://www.amazon.com/Praise-Idleness-Routledge-Classics-46... The Conquest of Happiness - https://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Happiness-Bertrand-Russell/dp/087140673X/ https://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Happiness-Bertrand-Russell/d...
drdrek 4y ago
Seems like the answer is total amount of human life. When you had 10K humans you could just walk around your cave and find enough food for everyone. When you had 10M humans you started tilling fields and created organizations to manage collection and storage. now you need incredibly complex machines, that require incredibly complex supply chains to feed 10B. (food as an example. its the same for clothing to not freeze, shelter to rear offsprings, culture to not kill each other etc)
berniedurfee 4y ago
Right? Where is all that extra productivity going?

Good. If civilization isn't moving to improve quality of life, but to make sure that we keep working more and more, we have to ask ourselves what exactly is the point of technological progress.

agubelu 4y ago

I wholeheartedly agree. Our time here on Earth is limited, and I think that as a society we should aim to work less and have more time for ourselves and enjoy everyting life has to offer. The huge productivity increase in the last 40 years have been entirely siphoned into maximizing profits while working conditions have remained essentially stagnant, so I'd say it's about time to start making some progress on this front.

piva00 4y ago

If you are not familiar with it, may I present to you Bertrand Russell's "In Praise of Idleness". In 1920 he was already advocating exactly that.

neom 4y ago
Hello fellow Bertrand Russell fan??! I don't see his name come up on HN too often but really nice to see In Praise of Idleness mentioned. For anyone reading this who wants to consume some of his philosophy: In Praise of Idleness: And Other Essays - https://www.amazon.com/Praise-Idleness-Routledge-Classics-46/dp/0415325064 https://www.amazon.com/Praise-Idleness-Routledge-Classics-46... The Conquest of Happiness - https://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Happiness-Bertrand-Russell/dp/087140673X/ https://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Happiness-Bertrand-Russell/d...

drdrek 4y ago

Seems like the answer is total amount of human life. When you had 10K humans you could just walk around your cave and find enough food for everyone. When you had 10M humans you started tilling fields and created organizations to manage collection and storage. now you need incredibly complex machines, that require incredibly complex supply chains to feed 10B. (food as an example. its the same for clothing to not freeze, shelter to rear offsprings, culture to not kill each other etc)

berniedurfee 4y ago

Right? Where is all that extra productivity going?