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I'm pretty sure that steam shovels destroyed more jobs than they created, too. Samuel Butler, a century ago contemplated that change and also foresaw that this
by Nomentatus 11y ago
I'm pretty sure that steam shovels destroyed more jobs than they created, too. Samuel Butler, a century ago contemplated that change and also foresaw that this would eventually happen to jobs requiring more brain work, as well.
But the real problem is, what happens when the vast majority of people can't offer any kind of labor or service that a machine can't do quicker and better. Will we need a second economy? (As the medieval church once was.) Will we prepare for this eventuality or just blunder into it?
- dorfsmay 11y agoWe will definitely need to change to a different type of economy, new problems will be: How do we set a value to things and services, since some resources will still be limited? For example we won't all be able to travel as much as we want. Some jobs will still exists and will take a long time before they can be replaced by robots. Some will be desirable, we can share those more so people don't have to work as much, but some won't. How are we going to chose who does those jobs?
- toomuchtodo 11y agoIf a job is undesirable and can't be automated, you would expect it the command a much higher level of compensation.
- dorfsmay 11y agoYes, we're back to the problem of value... If there is not enough work for everybody, and a lot of tasks are covered by robot, we end up in a sharing economy. How do you assign value in a sharing economy?
- JoeAltmaier 11y agoThus my plumber is now a rich guy. Judging from my bill.
- JoeAltmaier 11y agoA generation has to grow old and die before we can make progress on this. There's too much FUD flying around, even mentioning things like Basic Income etc. Folks holler 'Socialism' and 'Lazy Bastards can't have my money!' and 'But taxes!' You can't even begin the conversation.