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Job loss is a horrible reason to ban something. Think about our history if we always did that. We would all be stuck working on farms today, because we didn’t w
by cortesoft 8mo ago
Job loss is a horrible reason to ban something. Think about our history if we always did that. We would all be stuck working on farms today, because we didn’t want to allow tractors or other machinery because it would take away farming jobs.
Instead of banning tech to save jobs, pass laws that make sure tech prices in externalities (tax carbon emissions), and find other ways to assist people who lose jobs (UBI, good social safety nets, etc).
Don’t stifle progress just because it makes us have to work less.
- ukuina 8mo agoCar dealerships would like a word.
- cortesoft 8mo agoAnother example why these types of laws make things worse for people.
- pocksuppet 8mo agoRight - fix the economy instead. Why should increasing efficiency cause people to have less resources - that makes no sense.
- Joker_vD 8mo agoBecause there are people who live off rent (in a broad sense of this world), and there are people who live off selling their ability to work. Increased efficiency and productivity may or may not benefit the second kind of people, depending on whether they can sell their labour to be used for something else.
- cortesoft 8mo agoSo instead of figuring out ways to limit the ability of people to live off rent, we want to ban beneficial things that people could extract rent from? This is like saying, "We don't like how landlords extract value from housing, so we are banning apartment buildings"
- Joker_vD 8mo agoWell, usually we tax the landlords instead. But when the landlords make up the overwhelming majority of the legislature, this tend to not happen. The situation with apartment buildings is even more quirky because the USA has quite ridiculous zoning regulations, which AIUI many landlords actually support? It's really a wonderful barrel of worms, and I am glad I have no paddle in it.
- gosub100 8mo agoBanning AI does increase efficiency. It makes it more efficient for a working class family to afford to survive. What perverted definition of the word were you considering?
- cortesoft 8mo agoHow is this different from saying "Banning mechanical farm equipment does increase efficiency, it makes it more efficient for farm workers to afford to survive" You are fighting against productivity improvements when you should be fighting against people hoarding the benefits of productivity improvements.
- gosub100 8mo agoThat doesn't answer my question. My claim is that people working is efficient.
- pocksuppet 8mo agoA carpenter using a hand saw instead of a power saw just to keep more carpenters employed is not being efficient. It's Pareto-better to keep all those carpenters employed, earning the same salary for fewer hours.
- cortesoft 8mo agoYour definition of efficient doesn't make any sense. If people can work less and produce more, that is the definition of efficient. I agree that keeping everyone fed and sheltered is of primary importance... but wouldn't it be better to have everyone work less while doing that? Let's have robots do all the hard work and then share the wealth with everyone. Why force people to work at jobs that could be done easier just to make sure we employee everyone? Might as well just pay people to move rocks back and forth. Just increase taxes on robots and use that to pay basic income.
- wsve 8mo ago> Let's have the robots do all the hard work and then share the wealth with everyone That sounds fantastic, except that in our capitalist economy the wealth will not be shared by everyone, and will instead be funnelled directly to the tech oligarchy, while workers get laid off. Until we fix that part of the equation, innovations to efficiency will continue to result in working people getting screwed over by technological innovation.
- TimorousBestie 8mo ago> Job loss is a horrible reason to ban something. Think about our history if we always did that. The US has continually set up protectionist policies to preserve a local workforce. Automotive manufacturers, the shipbuilding industry, etc.
- tt24 8mo agoThese are bad things
- FatherOfCurses 7mo agoIn an economy that depends on consumer spending, you can only wipe out so many jobs until no one can afford to purchase consumer goods.