this post was submitted on 27 Oct 2023
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Thats it interesting scenario, but why are you assuming that there is a significant segment that won't want to learn, especially when they're no longer alienated from their labor? And why are you assuming that the total laborers will increase with new technology, when you can retrain existing workers?
I dont think your scenario is realistic, it kinda reads as really misanthropic
Because the fraction of the current world that reads every day and learns every day is extremely small. Again, like I said before, how many people around you come back from work and want to read technical books and watch courses instead of chilling, or hanging out with friends? I have two friends who are nut jobs like me and work all the time. EVERYONE else is lazy and just wants to have fun after work, and that's in my circle. This spans over decades in the different jobs and sectors I worked at, in different countries. Do you have a different experience around you? I have trouble convincing people to read for 30 minutes every day.
Are you trying to argue that the majority of people watch educational videos in their free time and read technical books and prefer that over hanging out?
Socialist countries are famous for literacy and education drives
I dont think it is reasonable to assume humans will act the same way in all conditions. I know people who just slack off, and its generally because there is no incentive not to do the bare minimum when you are alienated from your labor
Humans will be humans wherever they go.
But to summarize. You basically want to wreck the current system on the basis that everyone will be diligent, reading all the time, just for the "greater good", more so than their own profit.
And btw, about the "bare minimum". No one has a reason to not do the bare minimum as they don't get fired (consequences). There will always be the lazy guy who does the bare minimum, and everyone will get lazier because they'll get jealous with zero consequences.
No, that's a strawman. People won't all be diligent. But they will be more productive in general when they are not alienated from their labor. This has been proven with a bunch of economic data on socialist countries and data on cooperatives even within a capitalist environment.
You're just literally describing capitalism and being like, what about this problem under socialism? The consequences are youre not contributing. Do you think everyone is suddenly going to be less motivated when they're actually able to realize the product of their labor, instead of having a parasite on top taking it?
Yeah... right. People will stop being lazy even though they can be, and will just work day and night to benefit others. Very convincing. I've seen all kinds of people who were put in cushy cushion jobs for decades and didn't learn shit. Never heard of boomers?
Under capitalism, you can do the bare minimum, but a job cut will always hit you first if you make yourself worthless to the company. Is it perfect? No. But the incentive is clear, at least.