4 ms·

We should definitely embrace the future as fast as possible, instead of trying to hold it back so we "don't lose (the old) job". The problem is a lot of people

by devx 13y ago

We should definitely embrace the future as fast as possible, instead of trying to hold it back so we "don't lose (the old) job". The problem is a lot of people need to be retrained, since things are changing so fast, and their jobs aren't lasting their whole lifetime, like they used to. And I think neither the government, nor the private education sector is properly equipped to handle that yet, nor are they making much progress in that. But they need to, and soon, because this is only going to get "worse" (for the people who aren't trained for the new types of jobs). This is just machines and automation "disrupting" human jobs, which means us humans need to keep moving "up market" (doing stuff machines can't easily do yet, which tends to involve right-brain type of jobs). But it's only a matter of time before the machines/automation catches up to us there, too. Hopefully, by that point, we'll be having a society where food is easily and very cheaply created by "replicators" for everyone, and it will be a society where money has less importance, and we don't need to "work for a living" anymore, and we can just be free to follow our passions. I think all of this will happen in five decades to a century, but it will be a very tough ride, as we try to quickly adapt and keep pace with technology, as we try to make a living.

pfisch 13y ago
What makes you think the future will be better than the present? If history is the judge then it is more likely that we will end up in a situation where 10-20% of the people have everything and everyone else lives in super poverty relative to them. Most of history and even the present reflect that situation. Also it will require far fewer people to have absolute systems of control than it ever has before. Or AI could take over singularity style. I don't know why you assume the future will be better than the past. So far it honestly seems more like computers and robots have created a situation where most of the middle class is now useless to society. We seem to be reverting back to a system where there is only an upper class and a massive pool of peasants. For us to really replace the higher end of the workforce will require a singularity type of event. Of all the possible futures it really takes a lot of optimism to not see some kind of dystopia. Just look at the current privacy situation. Look at what the NSA is doing. Look at how google and facebook have been allowed to build a massive database of every action that we engage in with technology, and they are then allowed to sell it to 3rd parties without most people even knowing they do this and sharing none of the profits with us for selling our information. That is the reality of the future. Add largely automated robot armies and much more powerful systems of control plus finite resources.
- icebraining 13y ago
  I don't know why you assume the future will be better than the past. 50 years there were full blown dictatorships in Europe and South America, dozens of millions were dieing in China, and Soviet officials in submarines were blocking the launch of nuclear missils. Oh, and Vietnam war, Kent State, etc. 70 years ago we were in a world war, smashing half of Europeu to pieces and blowing up full cities in Japan, plus, you know, the holocaust. 80 years ago there was the Great Depression, and all of its effects. My grandmother, in an western European country, lived without electricty, running water, education and barely enough food. And this is just a self- serving European perspective written in five minutes; there were plenty of horrors I probably don't even know about. The NSA? it doesn't come even close.
- yummyfajitas 13y ago
  If history is the judge then it is more likely that we will end up in a situation where 10-20% of the people have everything and everyone else lives in super poverty relative to them. The key word here is "relative to them". On the other hand, if history is the judge, then the people living in relative poverty will still be vastly richer than most people alive today. Dystopia? That depends on how strongly one feels envy. Personally, I can enjoy driving my flying car and stem cell therapy until age 100, even if some rich guy has nanotech rejuvenation allowing him to live to 1000 on his spaceship.

by devx 13y ago

pfisch 13y ago

What makes you think the future will be better than the present? If history is the judge then it is more likely that we will end up in a situation where 10-20% of the people have everything and everyone else lives in super poverty relative to them. Most of history and even the present reflect that situation. Also it will require far fewer people to have absolute systems of control than it ever has before. Or AI could take over singularity style. I don't know why you assume the future will be better than the past. So far it honestly seems more like computers and robots have created a situation where most of the middle class is now useless to society. We seem to be reverting back to a system where there is only an upper class and a massive pool of peasants. For us to really replace the higher end of the workforce will require a singularity type of event. Of all the possible futures it really takes a lot of optimism to not see some kind of dystopia. Just look at the current privacy situation. Look at what the NSA is doing. Look at how google and facebook have been allowed to build a massive database of every action that we engage in with technology, and they are then allowed to sell it to 3rd parties without most people even knowing they do this and sharing none of the profits with us for selling our information. That is the reality of the future. Add largely automated robot armies and much more powerful systems of control plus finite resources.

icebraining 13y ago
I don't know why you assume the future will be better than the past. 50 years there were full blown dictatorships in Europe and South America, dozens of millions were dieing in China, and Soviet officials in submarines were blocking the launch of nuclear missils. Oh, and Vietnam war, Kent State, etc. 70 years ago we were in a world war, smashing half of Europeu to pieces and blowing up full cities in Japan, plus, you know, the holocaust. 80 years ago there was the Great Depression, and all of its effects. My grandmother, in an western European country, lived without electricty, running water, education and barely enough food. And this is just a self- serving European perspective written in five minutes; there were plenty of horrors I probably don't even know about. The NSA? it doesn't come even close.
yummyfajitas 13y ago
If history is the judge then it is more likely that we will end up in a situation where 10-20% of the people have everything and everyone else lives in super poverty relative to them. The key word here is "relative to them". On the other hand, if history is the judge, then the people living in relative poverty will still be vastly richer than most people alive today. Dystopia? That depends on how strongly one feels envy. Personally, I can enjoy driving my flying car and stem cell therapy until age 100, even if some rich guy has nanotech rejuvenation allowing him to live to 1000 on his spaceship.