Working for Robots

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2 pointsnoch3 comments

> This is an easily understood position that hasn’t borne much fruit historically: despite massive levels of automation compared to all of history leading up to right about now, we have more jobs than ever and there’s still ample demand for more labor.

In the long run, yes.

But for people who need to eat today, the long run isn't as important. It may be of benefit to their children or grandchildren, but they themselves are largely screwed.

> It may be of benefit to their children or grandchildren, but they themselves are largely screwed.

What evidence do you have of this, today?

My evidence is observing how things have shaken out when big shifts like this have occurred in the past. The ones shut out of their careers are often just hosed. Their skills are no longer marketable, so what are they supposed to do? For some, retraining and/or relocating is an option, but not for everybody.

All I'm saying is that while the job market may expand in the long run on average, it shrinks in the short run and in the longer run in certain areas. It's a mistake to ignore the suffering that this causes. If you're hungry, you can't pay rent, you can't pay medical bills, etc., then the "long run" doesn't matter so much.

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