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Comment by tomatopotato | Hacker News Reader

I think it's important to note that full employment is a thing of the past and ultimately I would expect humanity to leave behind this idea that everyone needs to work. What did we come up with all this automation for? To enrich the few? Or to make work less and less of an issue for everyone? We are entering an age where more and more work is being done by robots. We either punish those who get replaced by machines or we craft a community in which people are empowered to enjoy life.

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^ -- THIS totally! There's plenty of resources, and human ingenuity to make the poorest person in the world live life like mid-to-upper middle class in America does. Why can't everyone start out at THAT quality of living, and move up if they so choose... a safe home, place to go to school, etc?

I just read a short story called Manna about where U.S. workers were displaced by robots and automation, and the 10% lived in luxury, the rest were put in styrofoam living areas, given meals, but weren't allowed to leave the compound, much like a concentration camp, or prison.

Some people though through inheritance, etc were given 'tickets' to go live in the Australia project, which was where everyone got 1000 credits to spend as they like weekly in a catalog of things like clothes, etc.. They got housing and food provided at no cost. They could do whatever money wasn't really a thing, people worked if they wanted, did scientific research, etc...

http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm

What about the people who enjoy working? The dignity of receiving an honest wage for an honest day's work? The satisfaction for providing for their family? For some people, their work is the only thing that keeps them in shape. My father, when he was no longer able to find work, and now after looking for 10 years is too old, literally sits on the couch for 16 hours a day watching television and smoking cigarettes. He would do anything to work.

This thinking on here that we are doing humanity this huge service by automating all their pesky little maniacal jobs away is insane, and it needs to stop. There is more than one world view out there.

The concept that a job gives meaning and structure to life, builds character, etc." is not sustainable in the future.

Something about when Professors feel the need to curse to look cool throws me off the wrong way, dunno, call me old fashioned.

I am making myself familiar with Mr. James Livingston -- it's an argument that has been made many times before -- that there aren't enough jobs to go around, that the private sector doesn't really create all the jobs, and ends with some form of UBI. I have heard it a thousand times. I still remain unconvinced.

> I think it's important to note that full employment is a thing of the past

People working less because they do not need to work so long to finance their desires is one way to achieve that.

> What did we come up with all this automation for?

To drive down the cost of goods and services that no longer need a human component.

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