flacaltenn
Diamond Member
- Thread starter
- #21
The division of labor extends, and they go into new sectors of production, offering previously inconceivable goods and services. This is what has happened throughout history. Why didn't mechanization in American agriculture cause permanent unemployment? Because, these workers were soaked up into the increasing industrialization of the United States (even though many of these jobs were also automated). Also keep in mind computers are limited in what they can complete and do.Why?
Why?
What becomes of those who are not cut out to be lawyers or doctors or engineers or teachers or technicians or any other occupation tnhat might require an advanced skill set?
The assumption is that if machines largely, if not completely, replace the human workforce, humans will have little to no income. But if such is the case, who will purchase any machine-produced stuff, if humans have little to no income? The likelihood of a large, if not complete, machine workforce seems highly unlikely because few to no human consumers results in little to no profits for machinery owners.
If machines manufactured everything, prices would drop to the floor. People could afford to work less. Such is the reason why child labor is no longer necessary to support a family. Real wages increased because of the massive expansion of production, so children left the workforce.
The goal of production is consumption, not employment. If the goal of production was employment, not consumption, then a construction site manager should order construction workers to use spoons, not shovels, to create jobs. Ultimately, the goal is to work less and keep the same or higher standards of living. That is what automation allows. If robots did everything and no one had to lift a hand to do any work- we'd be in a sort of paradise.
Let me expand on the ShackledOne's explanation..
Efficiency in manufacturing is good for environment. More work-at-home jobs. Less commuting/congestion. Robots don't need large parking lots or cafeterias..
Automating manufacturing does not affect the SERVICE industry very much -- We don't have much to lose here. There is no future in 20th century manufacturing in this country, and soon in the rest of the world. ALL WE HAVE is a service industry left. And that will largely remain..
We cannot "hope and change" ourselves back into labor-intensive manufacturing. But YES WE CAN --- produce basketballs, shoes, and garden tools in this country in this country again IF -- we make cheap labor irrelevent by applying robotics, artificial intelligience, materials and bio sciences to the problem..
It's the only way to circumvent being led around by the nose by the rest of the world for the next 10 generations.. Dig in -- start believing -- work to allow it to happen.. Or start studying Mandarin -- because THEY WILL acheive this goal..