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Comment by mattlutze | Hacker News Reader

> Every human being deserves an average of 8 hours of work, 8 hours of family/leisure, 8 hours of sleep and 2 days a week free.

"[...]deserves an average of 8 hours of work[...]"

"[...]2 days a week free[...]"

I think that's the snake oil you're smelling.

How does society ensure this can happen? With laws, of course! Why, we can just make overtime and >5 in every 7 days with worked hours illegal, it's so simple...

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It worked fine in France, ended up raising the overall productivity of their economy. France now has a higher standard of living than the US, so it might be worth looking at what they're doing right.

By what measure?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Deve...

Also, a single number will be misleading. France has fewer immigrants and thus a different cultural structure. It also has very different neighbors and trade partners.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_foreign-bo...

"I think you need a lot of context to seriously examine anything." -- The Wire, Season 5

Legislatively-prescribed limits like this on work, for me, would be too statist.

Now, I very much believe in the spirit of the concept. Bertrand Russell hit the nail:

http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html

But through legislation, no. It needs to be a culturally grown movement.

Also, the US has a higher Human Development Index rating than France: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Deve...

and on whatever the Legatum Prosperity Index is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legatum_Prosperity_Index

and Germany's OECD's Better Life Index (using the "weigh all of these equally" measure): http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/#11111111111

I would argue that standard of living is higher in the US.

Also, this just happened:

http://news.yahoo.com/p-downgrades-france-credit-rating-aa-0...

How about a law against ridiculously naive expectations of what can be achieved through the law? Ignoring a thorough analysis of unintended consequences when proposing a law should be punishable by the rack. It's so simple.

That would be a very interesting law.

"It is a criminal offense to have unreasonable expectations of this law."

Or did you mean "the law" as in the institution?

(Also, to check, you didn't read my sarcasm as sincerity, right?)

I may have jumped the gun on that one, sorry. I'll propose a law to forbid commenting before coffee.

That said, I meant "the law" as in the institution, not individual laws.

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