The Luddite Fallacy Fallacy

[salvorhardin]

?

I’ve spent a lot of time considering (here, here, here, and here) the notions of technological unemployment and the Luddite Fallacy: the idea that technologically driven productivity — machines — will replace, are replacing, human labor. I’d like to revisit that here. My basic conclusion: the Luddites were obviously wrong at the time. But they’re right now — at least in the U.S. Even a stopped clock is right eventually.
Full post: http://www.asymptosis.com/the-luddite-fallacy-fallacy.html

I agree with his conclusion, although not his reasoning. It goes far beyond cognitive limits. Nor do I agree that expanding the EITC is the way to go. Olav's comment at #4 pretty much reflects my thinking:

You already know what I think: rather than arguing against automation because it’ll lead to unemployment, we should be automating more and more and putting an end to human drudgery. At the same time, we must decouple subsistence from employment–because, pretty soon, we’ll *all* be out of work (as most jobs are currently constituted). Guaranteed subsistence income is pretty much the only way we’ll survive. You know I’m not saying that work will or should go away–I have enormous amounts of work I want to do that I’m currently prevented from doing because of the need to earn a living.
Link: http://www.asymptosis.com/the-luddite-fallacy-fallacy.html#comment-5320

Although instead of a guaranteed subsistence income, I'd advocate for a guaranteed living income.

[longship]

1. Nice. I agree. nt

Kicked

[Yavin4]

2. This Is Why I Argued for a Lower Retirement Age

In essence, our economy is indeed creating less and less jobs, so why not reward the eldery amongst us and allow them to exit the labor market earlier. It would open up more opportunities for younger workers, and it provides an incentive for people to save and control the size of their families in order to reap the benefits of early retirement.

[salvorhardin]

3. Oh, I agree, and throw in four day work weeks (or six hour days)

Last edited Wed Aug 22, 2012, 01:55 PM - Edit history (1)

I think the economy has been fundamentally altered over the past 20 years, and it is never going back. Automation (driverless cars, increased use of industrial robots for even delicate tasks, AI software "assistants", etc.) is going to obviate many, many jobs to the point where I think not even service jobs will be immune. We either need to alter what a 'job' means, or get used to a massively dystopian society.

[Yavin4]

4. I use to work as Litigation Paralegal for Law Large firms

Today, my duties are completely obsolete because of technology. The only reason why some paralegal jobs even exist is more due to tradition than actual need. The same goes for legal secretaries. Many of them have nothing to do all day.

[Egalitarian Thug]

5. And that's a shame. Legal secretaries are some of the most awesome professionals

I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Blindingly fast, super organized, with a range of knowledge so wide you never see the end of it.

[Yavin4]

7. Software Applications like Outlook, Word, Sharepoint, Adobe, etc.

has made their jobs obsolete. No more hard copy filing You can file briefs with the court online. Lawyers can schedule their own meetings with their BBs. People email and/or text more than they call. Everything is online so no more photocopying cases to put into a binder.

The few legal secretaries that remaiin cover 6 or more attorneys.

[Egalitarian Thug]

10. One of my best contracts was working in one of the country's largest

law firms to develop a system to make it easier to take in the unacceptable mess that M$ Word makes of lengthy legal documents and strip out all the M$ BS code so that they can be redone in a manner acceptable to the courts.

Want to see an attorney cry? Have a judge throw out a 6,000 page brief because the cites and annotations aren't accurate or don't conform to the court's requirements because the software can't/won't accurately track changes and update links beyond a few hundred pages.

[Fumesucker]

11. If you have to commute a six hour day sucks..

Just as much time in preparation for work and commuting, less actual time on the job that you get paid for.

[hunter]

6. 90% of our economy as it now exists needs to be put down with extreme prejudice.

If we don't do the job ourselves in a rational, humane way, nature is going to do it the old-fashioned way with lots of death, pain, and suffering.

There a plenty of ways we might build a more technically advanced, less resource intensive society that doesn't leave anybody behind, but we're not going in that direction as the rich get richer and the poor are thrown off the bus.

[salvorhardin]

9. Yes

At least to start, the details don't matter so much as the will.

[BOG PERSON]

8. fallacies!