Alain,
The problem with what you say is that only a very few do better as a
result of robotics.
As Norbert Weiner (PhD at 17) wrote:three years after the first vacuum
tube computer,
“If we can do anything in a clear and intelligible way, we can do it by
machine. An industrial revolution of unmitigated cruelty powered by
machines capable of reducing the economic value of the routine factory
employees to a point at which he is not worth hiring at any price.”
On 11/25/2016 3:25 AM, Alain Sepeda wrote:
2016-11-25 2:38 GMT+01:00 Jed Rothwell <jedrothw...@gmail.com
<mailto:jedrothw...@gmail.com>>:
In the future, computers and robots can do nearly all work such as
driving cars, building houses, diagnosing x-rays and performing
surgery. Human labor will gradually become worthless.
This is a point where I disagree.
in fact robots make the value of the worker increase, as it always have.
It is continuous substitution of work by capital.
washing machine makes the value of the laundry worker be higher, as he
exploits capital invested in a machine.
What you describe is the tragedy of a worker who is prevented, by
regulation or social barriers, to exploit some capital.
The future of the laundry worker is not to work for a laundry boss
with a thousands of machine. It is to own a thousand of machine, like
a Roman citizen was owning slaves.
The big error of Marxist vision, and in fact old-style 19/20th century
vision in the West is to separate capital and work. It was in fact
exact when stated, because at that time workers and capitalist were
sociologically separated, and capital was huge because of the size of
steam engines and following, and need of taylorization of workforce.
In fact the capitalism of that period, still dominant, was based on an
evolution of landlord medieval system, just moved to industrial business.
Social security just organized the paternalism of concentrated
capitalism, and crony business associated. It is dying slowly.
Today what taylorization, steam engine and factory machine, schools
and big companies, have solved can be solved by IT, mobile apps,
social network, MOOC.
What the very imperfect and uninnovative company Uber have started is
allowing anyone with goodwill to be a capitalist, be a shareholder,
and investor, an independent worker.
When they will be "replaced" by botcars, what the society should
organized is to transform them in bot company shareholders, and not in
unemployed victims.
never forget that if a bot can create value for nothing, the value is
there.
at last people will pay the small manual works much higher , because
what a human can do manually will be valued much more than what a
thousands of bots can do for no cost.
just helping the mummy that manage a bot company to cross the street
may make her pay you by the value 1 year of taxi (costing nothing for
her) that could also feed you for 6 month of hydroponic food, 1 visit
of le Louvre with a Mooc, or... getting some help by your neighbour.
we should realize that today the hour of work of most people allows to
pay much more food, much more kilometer of travel, than before.
I don't feel than robots will change anything more than before.
at best it may just push local capitalism.
current troubled situation for me is just the old way to think the
world opposing to the revolution, refusing African style home
capitalism, defending smoking 19th century big capitalism, defending
economic rents of some elite (not the 1% by income, much wider elite
defined by networking and lobbying capacity).