> The point is basic economic theory define this as an impossibility. Given that economic theory is often wildly divorced from reality, I don't really see a pr

> The point is basic economic theory define this as an impossibility. Given that economic theory is often wildly divorced from reality, I don't really see a problem with this. Snark aside, I don't see how service jobs are safe from automation. I've already seen videos of a robot that prepares your ice cream and puts it in a cup; I've interacted with automated checkouts; I've bought and had things shipped to my door (soon to be shipped with less human involvement than ever when self-driving vehicles get big) with no human interaction. Education is going through a phase of experimentation with teaching at massive scale (all the current ed startups, kahn, etc.) which is only going to get worse as we find ways to integrate teaching and game principles (fast feedback loops for faster learning, pacing adjustment based on student, learn by doing rather than hearing, etc.) I don't see how if corps indirectly pay their customers to buy things this is going to cause the world to collapse. An economy relies on the flow of money between parties to exist; if we have full automation, and all the money gathers in the hands of the people producing things, we have no economy because no one can buy anything (except the top .001% who have everything). There simply isn't any way around this except to tax and redistribute the money. There's already mountains of friction in terms of bureaucracy, regulation, etc., and this has hardly stopped the economy from moving, so I just don't understand your point there. And really, advocating a decrease in population for stability in a technological world? What on earth? Technology is what allows for MORE population, for more people to have food, places to live, and all the rest. The entire point of all the technology we've developed is to make human lives easier and better... but you think it means there's less need for humans? The logic astounds me.