noneStar Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 there was a book put out some time ago about the end of work where the main thesis was that technological progress will eventually lead us to massive, permanent unemployment. i'm starting to believe that we are on the cusp of that, that we're reaching a tipping point in the developed world where our economies will not be human labor intensive enough to continue absorbing workers who've lost their jobs due to automation, obsolescence, or even off-shoring. so unemployment at higher and higher levels is here to stay. we keep talking that we will evolve into a "knowledge economy" providing services to the manufacturing based economies in countries with lower labor costs but I think that was a pipe dream. A knowledge economy isn't sustainable and isn't inclusive enough to provide jobs for a labor class of varied intellectual abilities. This all makes me very pessimistic about the future because our whole system is based on people having earned purchasing power through work and then using that to consume....this system is going to break down and what then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dramallama Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 You know, that very well may be true, but is it worth worrying about? If you're thinking about it from a theory point of view, that's fine. But if worry about it, then that can't be good. I myself am a bit worried about artificial intelligence and computers being able to control society. I think both of these things are inevitable, so is it worth worrying about? You really cannot change what is going to happen anyway. All you can do is try the best to put yourself in an advantage over everyone else so that you can survive and make a good income. Professions in the humanities and health will always be needed at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TidalWave Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 i'm starting to believe that we are on the cusp of that, that we're reaching a tipping point in the developed world where our economies will not be human labor intensive enough to continue absorbing workers who've lost their jobs due to automation, obsolescence, or even off-shoring. People will be hired to use the technology to do something else, maybe education will shift in a different direction as well. And if not, the human desire to conquer and rule will always be there. When the technology will be way advanced from what it is today, we might be able to inhabit planets, overtake whole universe, if we don't kill ourselves with it before that lol. I wouldn't worry at all. There's always a way to make it work. Even if you don't see it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavenderdove Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 You will only be part of the 'labor class' if you do nothing to educate yourself in a profession that is growing rather than shrinking. So you need to pay a lot of attention to where the demand is, and educate yourself to fill it. It is also a given that in a long life, people will most likely have 2 or 3 different careers over a lifetime as their needs and the economy changes. So you need to research and educate yourself on future trends, and get yourself into a profession that is growing rather than shrinking. Also, you will need to keep your skills up and retrain as necessary. And there will always be jobs in the service industries and medical professions. So it is a question of recognizing that one must investigate what professions will find work, and educating yourself to be employed in one of them. It is very easy to get education these days totally online, and in your spare time if you have to work a job while going to school, so really no reason not to do it. Those who are prepared and think ahead will do fine, and those who expect an easy job with no training or education (or don't want to go to the effort of getting that training) won't... It is a given that life is about change, and sitting around being pessimistic doesn't solve anything. All kinds of bad things COULD happen, and some will and some won't. Future predictions as a rule don't envision all positive possibilities and changes either, just project doom and gloom. When one career declines, other ones emerge to take its place. It has been that way throughout history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noneStar Posted February 3, 2011 Author Share Posted February 3, 2011 That makes planning for the future very stressful. Right now I am an electrical engineer but I work in the Nuclear industry. I don't know what the future holds and if there's a game altering discovery around the corner, like alternative power sources and artificial intelligence, that will make me useless. It's too much uncertainty, and I find it hard to stomach. How can you get married, plan to have kids, buy a house if the future is so uncertain that you can't even within a reasonable margin of error predict future trends? I believe the rate at which society and the economy is changing is faster than our rate to deal with it and anticipate those changes. Besides it is not just a worry about me, but what will as a society do with all of these people that will potentially be permanently unemployable? I don't believe that there will always be jobs in the service industries and medical professions. There are technologies being developed to eliminate many positions in those industries too. And the concept of a knowledge economy will not work because once knowledge is "sold"/transferred, it's a one shot deal....i.e. you teach the Chinese how to make trains, and they'll make better trains for cheaper than you (ask Kawasaki of Japan). I can look back a few generations and see that the world moved and changed at a much slower pace, there's really comparison between the past and now. How can one not worry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squiggy Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 I also heard there was a book published years ago depicting the reverse order of developed countries; suggesting north america will be a third country and that china will be the most powerful country in the world. It's a fairy tale, someones imagination to wake people up and stir up controversies in their minds. For a serious look, government has every influence on the job market. They will pass bills and legislation to ensure the publics trust is carried forward. How can any countries prosper if everything is automated? If everyone is being replaced by machine, who will buy groceries and furnitures? Robots and computes? Technology is available to help us out but it will not replace us. Imagine a world being managed and produced by robots as to what purpose if machines don't need any of them? It's pigmated imagination, enjoy the story. As for you, you can do what you want to. Your are maybe too worried to take chances? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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