What do we do when technology makes unskilled labor obsolete?
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That's an interesting question, what to do? Will the skilled people have to carry the unskilled ones on their back? Work and work just so the government somehow finds a way to direct some of their profit to those who can't get a job? I think it goes deeper than that. When technology makes unskilled labor obsolete, there will be all these things and services which we can receive without requiring another human being's efforts. The machines will do it all for us. Consequently, money will have a whole new meaning. What will you be paying for when you buy something which required no human effort in its making? The way things are going now, you will probably pay for the patents of the products and the people who first put the machines together. They will set the machines once, (by then the machines will be able to fix each other, which is not so far away) and then just sit back protected by patent laws and receiving money with no effort until some better technology comes up. What to do when technology makes unskilled labor obsolete? Get rid of monetary economy and patent laws, these belong to a time when people did things to people. What to replace it with? I have a few ideas, but I'm not sure. Anyways, we should better start thinking seriously about it, before people start siting back and taking our money without any effort. Side: Get rid of money and patents
Could one of the reasons for the higher than expected unemployment in the US be that technology is making human workers obsolete? If you look at the US Bureau of Labor website, they have two main articles up right now: One about unemployment hitting 10.2% and another one about productivity increasing by 9.5%. I don't know how much technology is contributing to current unemployment, but it's probably affecting it at least a little. And it will probably do so increasingly in the future. So what does this mean for workers? If all the low skill jobs are done by machines, what are we going to do with all the unskilled workers and all the workers who's skills are made obsolete? Seems to me that's going to take a whole lot of unemployment benefits. I wonder if we'll still see people complaining about welfare so vehemently even as there's less work to go around. Side: Lots of welfare
First of all, the productivity increase can directly be attributed to the elimination of white collar jobs. All of which are purely overhead. Yet, the BLS doesn’t provide adequate data for our inferences, and as such is a meaningless metric of the particulars of the labor force (non-farm) of the US. (Remember, productivity is a factor that is determined by price. A dildo manufacturer can claim that productivity is up if the expenses associated with the production of dildos has decreased relative to the number of dildos sold at a higher price or lower price.) BTW, do you think employees who believe their jobs are on the line might actually work harder and smarter? I do! That too will affect productivity! Secondly, most people want to ‘put in a good days labor’ instead of being suckled by the tit of the state. Public welfare is definitely worthy of complaint when most, if not some, people want to work and enjoy the wages of their toil in low-skilled jobs, yet can’t find work. They want jobs, not welfare. Finally, public welfare is nothing more than the evidence of a faulty social system. Consider this post to be my premises, not my argument. Side: Lots of welfare
Technologies significantly affect human as well as other animal species' ability to control and adapt to their natural environments. The human species' use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistorical discovery of the ability to control fire increased the available sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans in travelling in and controlling their environment. Side: Lots of welfare
Stupid people won't be able to "make an adjustment" if all the jobs for stupid people are done by machines. Not everybody is smart enough to be a doctor you know. You can be patient and encouraging all you want, but you can't make a dumb person smarter, at least not after they're grown up. Side: Lots of welfare
Recent technological developments, including the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a global scale. However, not all technology has been used for peaceful purposes; the development of weapons of ever-increasing destructive power has progressed throughout history, from clubs to nuclear weapons. Side: Lots of welfare
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The public has strength. The public is also primarily composed of blue collars. There's always the possibility that the common citizen won't allow such a lifestyle change to occur. It is to our personal benefits to do our jobs inefficiently with humans as opposed to with technology. But then again, companies that employ human workers are allowed to do what they will. It seems that technology will continue to replace humans, regardless of whether we want it to or not. In which case, natural selection among the intelligent and resourceful. About time, eh? Side: Lots of welfare
Technology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of ways. In many societies, technology has helped develop more advanced economies (including today's global economy) and has allowed the rise of a leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted by-products, known as pollution, and deplete natural resources, to the detriment of the Earth and its environment. Side: Lots of welfare
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Various implementations of technology influence the values of a society and new technology often raises new ethical questions. Examples include the rise of the notion of efficiency in terms of human productivity, a term originally applied only to machines, and the challenge of traditional norms. Side: Lots of welfare
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