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Comment by coldtea | Hacker News Reader

>labor-saving devices have been being invented for hundreds of thousands of years. What's new?

An extremely larger population that any other period in time (more than double what was merely 100 years ago), combined with the most extreme productivity improvements and new technologies like AI and robotics that can make most of them redundant in a few large fell swoops.

Plus, the fact that for most of humanity's existence, the masses mattered mostly if they were useful to some end, not for their intristic value as human beings.

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Mattered to whom?

People always matter at least to themselves.

>Mattered to whom?

To those that run society and determine policy.

>People always matter at least to themselves.

Which is neither here nor there as to whether anyone will lend them a helping hand or let them perish e.g. in slums and poverty.

Though even at that one would be surprised. People left without a job/role in society often don't matter even to themselves -- low self esteem, turning to drugs, alcohol, etc.

>People left without a job/role in society often don't matter even to themselves -- low self esteem, turning to drugs, alcohol, etc.

I see this argument all the time here, but no one accounts for the fact that we live in a society in which people's worth is largely determined by their ability to secure financial stability. Who's to say that people without jobs, allowed to live without societal derision in a (best case) post work future would be inevitably reduced in spirit?

I covered that in the first part of my comment: the masses are rarely nurtured when they are not useful.

So, it's more likely that they'll be left to rot, than that they'll be provided for and allowed to be included is a "post work future".

Oh, I'm not optimistic at all that the kind of societal shift I'm talking about will/can happen, at least in any peaceful/gentle way- that's why I said in a best case.

I'm just objecting to the idea that working for a living is necessary for self esteem or self actualization.

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