The industrialists won by pushing people out of agriculture to manufacturing, and then out of manufacturing and into services. Now, the information overlords are cleaning whatever remnants were there in production and pushing the rest out of service jobs. Where do you think those people will go?
It's not about the top 1%. They can stay filthy rich for all I care. It's about the rest of us, about our families and friends. With career in software, I could probably outlast most people. By then though, I'll have to work to provide for 20 people, who have no marketable skills whatsoever. That's the core issue. Automation is replacing classes of jobs, and besides the already automated labour-intensive areas and currently automated brainpower-intensive areas, I don't see any class left for people. At least not big enough to hold everyone who needs a job.
I think part of it for me is that there's a huge difference between "don't have a job" and "don't work". There's a perception that if people don't have jobs, they'll just sit around eating government cheese and watching tv all day. But I think hard work is in our bones, at least the bones of the interesting people. Heck, even if a majority sit around doing nothing all day, if we give those creative, hardworking people the opportunity and resources to act, they'll do amazing things.
And personally, I think the need for a "job" is the #1 impediment to creative, productive work by the people engaged enough to do just that.
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The industrialists won by pushing people out of agriculture to manufacturing, and then out of manufacturing and into services. Now, the information overlords are cleaning whatever remnants were there in production and pushing the rest out of service jobs. Where do you think those people will go?
It's not about the top 1%. They can stay filthy rich for all I care. It's about the rest of us, about our families and friends. With career in software, I could probably outlast most people. By then though, I'll have to work to provide for 20 people, who have no marketable skills whatsoever. That's the core issue. Automation is replacing classes of jobs, and besides the already automated labour-intensive areas and currently automated brainpower-intensive areas, I don't see any class left for people. At least not big enough to hold everyone who needs a job.
So maybe restructure society so people don't need "jobs"?
Yes, that's the point. It won't happen by itself though, and pretending that it's not an urgent issue isn't helping.
I think part of it for me is that there's a huge difference between "don't have a job" and "don't work". There's a perception that if people don't have jobs, they'll just sit around eating government cheese and watching tv all day. But I think hard work is in our bones, at least the bones of the interesting people. Heck, even if a majority sit around doing nothing all day, if we give those creative, hardworking people the opportunity and resources to act, they'll do amazing things.
And personally, I think the need for a "job" is the #1 impediment to creative, productive work by the people engaged enough to do just that.