Now what are we to derive happiness from? The joy of a boulder being on top of a hill?
I think that will be the most important thing for this transition, defining new purposes and meanings that people can assign themselves.
Now what are we to derive happiness from? The joy of a boulder being on top of a hill?
I think that will be the most important thing for this transition, defining new purposes and meanings that people can assign themselves.
Now, as far as I can tell, we are quite a way away from actually having most/all professions replaced, so for now the answer is rather clear: pick another boulder.
While this particular boulder might not have to be pushed by the same, large amount of people, the same amounts of mouths still need feeding. The Sisyphean task of surviving is still far from (if ever) self-pushing. Absurdism is still as relevant as ever, if not more relevant than ever before.
I'd even go as far as to say that the revolt against the absurd is one of the philosophical ideas that can help one go through this apparent loss of need for boulder-pushers. To revolt against the absurd is to create while perfectly aware that the creation itself is meaningless (which I feel like any pure mathematician should be aware of and have already accepted due to the nature of their work). Of course, this is separate from the question of funding, salary and the realities of life. But I feel like mathematicians and other scientists aren't just freaking out over their financial situation.