Jobs or dignity?
Nov. 12th, 2016 04:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
timeletsShould the tech industry worry about job creation? Here's a reaction from a pro-Trump journalist:
Here we have a confusion between the means (jobs) and the ends (dignity). A job is one way to generate dignity and we know from history that having a job is NOT THE ONLY way to do it. Being a good mother, for example, is not a job but there's a lot of dignity in it.
The journalist assumes that
domain(f) = job
codomain(f) = dignity
f: job -> dignity
If we find a different domain for f we don't need to create jobs.
Hypothetically, if we gavw everybody a 3D game where they could generate as much dignity as they needed, the problem would be solved.
domain(f) = game
codomain(f) = dignity
The tech industry's pet solution for the jobs lost to automation is universal basic income, the idea that the government should give everybody free money to cover basic needs by food and shelter. This shows zero understanding of the dignity that people get from work — yes, even the menial jobs that don't involve writing code to serve advertisements or help people order lunch to their desk at work.
Here we have a confusion between the means (jobs) and the ends (dignity). A job is one way to generate dignity and we know from history that having a job is NOT THE ONLY way to do it. Being a good mother, for example, is not a job but there's a lot of dignity in it.
The journalist assumes that
domain(f) = job
codomain(f) = dignity
f: job -> dignity
If we find a different domain for f we don't need to create jobs.
Hypothetically, if we gavw everybody a 3D game where they could generate as much dignity as they needed, the problem would be solved.
domain(f) = game
codomain(f) = dignity
