Posted on 12/11/2014 6:57:30 AM PST by C19fan
The technologies of the past, by replacing human muscle, increased the value of human effort – and in the process drove rapid economic progress. Those of the future, by substituting for man’s senses and brain, will accelerate that process – but at the risk of creating millions of citizens who are simply unable to contribute economically, and with greater damage to an already declining middle class.
Estimates of general rates of technological progress are always imprecise, but it is fair to say that, in the past, progress came more slowly. Henry Adams, the historian, measured technological progress by the power generated from coal, and estimated that power output doubled every ten years between 1840 and 1900, a compounded rate of progress of about 7% per year. The reality was probably much less. For example, in 1848, the world record for rail speed reached 60 miles per hour. A century later, commercial aircraft could carry passengers at speeds approaching 600 miles per hour, a rate of progress of only about 2% per year.
(Excerpt) Read more at hbr.org ...
UAW, AFSCME, AFL-CIO et al will demand unionization.
Augustine wrote about this in City of God. Not about robots. It was about people not having anything to do, not enemy to worry about, they would start fighting each other.
“start fighting each other”
Let’s see, we support the “inner city youth” and “single mothers” with wealth transfers,
so they have nothing to do, and no incentive to do anything,
and they end up killing each other?
Yep.
People like Cowan and Amity Shales think these 80% will be satisfied by looking at their tablets consuming cheap/free content all day sitting at home.
I'm not sure about (4) and (5), but (1), (2) and (3) are completely inevitable.
This thread may soon be shut down as a duplicate. The first thread was filled with post full of mockery at the very notion or at the left (good on that latter, but it ignores the issue) with little engagement from FReepers on how serious this question is or will soon become.
Solar and wind power are good, though.
They are likely correct. Being retired, I have to actively and consciously work against doing just that and often fail as this response indicates.
What Happens to Society When Robots Replace Workers?
They will still be voting democrat.
Vonnegut covered that in Player Piano.
When robots further replace workers, it will be the same effing mess that it is now. Have you tried calling any company or government agency? Do you get to talk to a real human being? Or do you simply talk to a recording and then to some numbskull who reads a script to you? “Yes, yes, so very sorry for the inconvenience, we will do everything we can to further assist you” Who talks like that? A robot.
There is no future aspect though.
Xerox machines replaced millions of copy typists when I was a kid. Automated self shutoff pumps replaced gas station attendants.
I am pretty sure that 80 percent of the jobs people work now are different from jobs people worked in the sixties.
Mike Rowe begs to differ.
I would like to see us go to 30 hour work weeks
3 10-hour days
I would dig ditches for a living if I could have 4 days off each week
My house would probably be clean and I would be able to work on remodeling and side jobs trying to start a business...
just think of all those poor supermodels replaced by walking mannequins. so sad. (/s)
It used to be that almost everyone was involved in food production. Now, almost no one is involved in food production.
The question could have been asked a hundred years ago.
The only thing to really do is let nature run its course. If a significant part of people are not genetically capable (intelligence) of living in an advanced technological society, then they should have their own society in which they are comfortable and productive. If they are subsized by a society to which they can never belong it will only lead to strife and violence.
Butlerian Jihad. Seriously.
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