The Boy Who Cried Robot: A World Without Work

[Berkut]

I've generally been happiest when I've been busy with things that aren't work.  So keep busy yes, work no.

Yeah.

I've always thought I would be really, really good at being independently wealthy.

The set of things I would like to spend time on is always much larger than my time or money will allow, so I could very much make good use of having more of both. I sure as hell would not be bored.

But I do get the feeling that a lot of people don't seem to know what to do with themselves when they don't have something to do with themselves....

[Ideologue]

I guess I am having a hard time figuring out how I position me and my family in a position to win in this future robot economy. I guess open a robot repair facility?

I'm guessing since robots can't make more land, then that's the way to go. I wish I'd bought a big ranch or something. 

Lex Luthor for prez.

[The Minsky Moment]

The working age population in the OECD+China is likely to decline quite a bit in the years to come.  So automation will be an economic necessity in any event.

[Ideologue]

One thing I should probably say is that I'm theoretically pro-automation.  The problem is that our society and political regime are about half a century behind where they'd need to be for the benefits of automation to be equitably shared, or even shared in such a way as to not cause social collapse.  And, of course, electing a Republican whose regime will perpetuate Republican rule for years, with voter suppression and with a stolen Supreme Court seat, has made everything much, much worse.

[Jacob]

I've generally been happiest when I've been busy with things that aren't work.  So keep busy yes, work no.

Yeah.

I've always thought I would be really, really good at being independently wealthy.

The set of things I would like to spend time on is always much larger than my time or money will allow, so I could very much make good use of having more of both. I sure as hell would not be bored.

But I do get the feeling that a lot of people don't seem to know what to do with themselves when they don't have something to do with themselves....

That's true for me as well... but I have found that the times where I have no pressing obligations, my desire to tinker with many other things drops off a fair bit as well.

F. ex. when I'm busy at work, I often like working on - say - my D&D campaign or a book or a game design et. al. But when I have a long period of slow times at work - or time off from work - those hobby things become much less appealing.

[Monoriu]

I think manufacturing work will in fact come back to the US over time as the cost of other countries labor rises. It doesn't seem to me that robots in China will be meaningfully cheaper than robots in the US in the long run.

Labour cost isn't the only advantage China has.  Being able to clear land by displacing thousands of peasants with minimal compensation, being able to dump waste into the nearest river, additional tools to deal with labour disputes etc all make doing business there easier. 

[MadImmortalMan]

That's true for me as well... but I have found that the times where I have no pressing obligations, my desire to tinker with many other things drops off a fair bit as well.

F. ex. when I'm busy at work, I often like working on - say - my D&D campaign or a book or a game design et. al. But when I have a long period of slow times at work - or time off from work - those hobby things become much less appealing.

I find this as well. Eventually I get bored of relaxing. Work is like sex in that you don't have to do it all the time, but if you never do it you will go a bit nuts.

Edit: I think that's one of the reasons people with useless jobs get depressed. If you know there's no point to what you're doing it doesn't satisfy that desire.

[The Minsky Moment]

In the core manufacturing areas, China's infrastructure is probably better than the US now.

[The Brain]

If I could afford it I would go live on a mountain top, meditate, and give out cryptic advice.

[Jacob]

If I could afford it I would go live on a mountain top, meditate, and give out cryptic advice.

Even if no one came to ask for your advice?

[garbon]

If I could afford it I would go live on a mountain top, meditate, and give out cryptic advice.

Even if no one came to ask for your advice?

Now don't be that way. There's always someone.

[Jacob]

In the core manufacturing areas, China's infrastructure is probably better than the US now.

In what areas of the economy do you reckon the US (or the EU) has the advantage?

[Monoriu]

One thing I should probably say is that I'm theoretically pro-automation.  The problem is that our society and political regime are about half a century behind where they'd need to be for the benefits of automation to be equitably shared, or even shared in such a way as to not cause social collapse.  And, of course, electing a Republican whose regime will perpetuate Republican rule for years, with voter suppression and with a stolen Supreme Court seat, has made everything much, much worse.

According to this thread, humanity is on the verge of full automation.  The social economic systems of the past few centuries have enabled humanity to reach this point, so I am not sure if we are on the wrong path 

[The Brain]

If I could afford it I would go live on a mountain top, meditate, and give out cryptic advice.

Even if no one came to ask for your advice?

Especially then.

[Eddie Teach]

Go to India. The villagers will bring you food, and you don't have to spend most of the day chopping wood for your fire.