[redgolum]

The argument can be made that automation got us into trouble. There is a portion of the population that does not have the skill or IQ for a higher level job, and that typically meant factory or farm work. As those have declined because of automation, you are left with a lot people who are not equipped to hold the remaining jobs.

What do you do with them? What for the mass uprising?

There isn't an easy answer.

[mamelukesabre]

There isn’t an easy answer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sure there is

Accelerate the increase in automation.

Doing so will increase output per human being and increase wealth per human being and increase average standard of living. Sure, many of those people will have meaningless jobs and maybe will only do an honest 2 hours work per day, but it will still work out ok as long as overall average productivity per human being continues to increase. The alternative is to reduce standard of living or continue on business as usual until the eventual collapse.

Its not a life I would want...I mean having one of those meaningless jobs where you don’t really have much to do all day. I don’t get along with people in jobs like that because I have no ability to communicate with them. They place value on a completely different set of skills than what I have.

But, that is our destiny like it or not, unless we are ok with going backwards and letting some other culture take the lead.