My concern with any comparison of the Industrial Revolution to today is where we establish the mean. What, precisely, is the "normal" state of labor w/r/t capit

My concern with any comparison of the Industrial Revolution to today is where we establish the mean. What, precisely, is the "normal" state of labor w/r/t capital? Looking back over the last several hundred years, it seems there isn't one. It's in been in a state of flux. There are many parallels to be drawn, relatively speaking, between then and now. But there are few absolutes (theoretical concepts notwithstanding). It's tough to set an arbitrary pin in, say, in the 1940s in the US -- or conversely, the 1800s in the UK -- and claim that such an era represented the natural equilibrium of things, and that eventually, we'll smooth back out towards it. There simply isn't enough longitudinal data on capitalism and industry, both of which are fairly recent inventions. The very idea of a regular, salaried job is astonishingly new in the sweep of human history. The idea of a salary can be traced back to the Romans, but in a very idiosyncratic context [1]. Where we go from here is going to be fascinating to watch. But we're deluding ourselves if we believe it necessarily must bear a strong resemblance to where we've been. I'm optimistic about the future, but I draw that optimism from the benefits of technology, and from the ability of humanity to adapt. I don't draw my optimism from any certainty about the way things "should" be. The only thing we should always count on is change. [1] "Salary" derives from salarium, the wage paid to a Roman soldier in order to buy salt (among other things). This is notable because, prior to the reforms of Gaius Marius, the Roman military comprised only noblemen who could afford to drop everything, buy their own gear, and go to war as volunteers. Rome's move to a professional army, manned largely by peasant-soldiers paid in salaries, marked one of the first instances of a permanent, professional, wage-based class in Western society. (In some Eastern societies, a rice-based wage served a similar purpose.)