On Fri, Dec 12, 2014 at 3:23 PM, John Berry <berry.joh...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Bob, unlike Jed I do think your protectionist laws are plausible. > > And while at first blush I considered them very promising, I then saw a > bunch of problems, and the largest problem as I see it is in a loss of > productivity. > > Ultimately robots are a offering a path away from scarcity and towards > abundance. >
I used to think scarcity and abundance could be understood as objective states of the world, but after listening to Evelin Lindner (1,2) I now think they are more a matter of perception which are driven by real or perceived threats to security. If one wants a world of abundance then it is necessary to understand what is needed for security. Otherwise the claimed state of scarcity which we are supposedly leaving behind thanks to capitalism and technology will prevail indefinitely no matter how many smart robots are built or how much energy becomes available. 1 - A Dignity Economy. Talk given by Evelin Lindner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRRlIQP2jzs 2 - How the Human Rights Ideal of Equal Dignity Separates Humiliation from Shame http://www.humiliationstudies.org/documents/evelin/HowtheHumanRightsIdealofDignitySeparatesHumiliat.pdf > The only problem is that our methods of distribution are based around > participation in production. > > As this stops being possible, so what is needed is not to find work for > idle hands, but to find ways to distribute things freely. > > As such different models need to be discussed. > Your model of robots earning money for a person has more flaws than the > free money idea. > > So then the only real option is between free money, or some other concepts. > Concepts which I might add have maybe not been sufficiently explored by > humanity for a very long time if ever. > > Unlimited free stuff, just take it. Might not produce waste if people > get over hoarding. Money might play little part in many peoples lives. > > Or > > An allotment of free stuff, hope it is enough to cover your needs. > > Maybe it is ultimately possible to have a society that doesn't abuse > unlimited free stuff. > > The thing that is limited is land. > Knowledge is the new frontier. Knowledge of yourself, of others, of the human animal, of other animals, of the Earth and the Cosmos. Harry
