The Richest Man in the World: A parable about structural unemployment and a basic income

A parable about robotics, abundance, technological change, unemployment, happiness, and a basic income.

The knol mentioned in the video has been moved here because Google Knol is shutting down: http://www.pdfernhout.net/beyond-a-jo...

That parable and video was directly inspired by this:
"Structural Unemployment: The Economists Just Don't Get It"
http://econfuture.wordpress.com/2010/...

• Category

  Education

[pdfernhout]

@zardozcs Google on "They Did Their Homework (800 Years of It)" to find: "“ There is so much inbredness in this [economics] profession,” says Ms. Reinhart. “They all read the same sources. They all use the same data sets. They all talk to the same people. There is endless extrapolation on extrapolation on extrapolation, and for years that is what has been rewarded.” "

There have always been four types of economies: subsistence, gift, planned, and exchange. The balance shifts with technology.

[Johnny Caimbridge]

The former half is where things are headed. Machines will be more productive, efficient, and valuable than humans in almost every way. With this, there is no or little value to human labor, and what few areas there is value will be in low demand; allocation based on merit alone means the vast majority starve.

Empathy demands we must accept a base living standard. This does not mean we can't incentivize beyond that. "Top Dog is natural" is nonsense. At this point, *we* define what is "natural."

[Stallion0157]

Sorry, I can't listen to this, don't take the criticism too harshly but there is too much mouth noise, making it uncomfortable to listen to. Try a better microphone, and sit further away, maybe drink a glass of cold water before speaking. Sorry.

[John Burman]

If all the wealth in the world was distributed equally - within 3 months things would be "unfair" again - life among all creatures is a struggle for resources or power - top dog is a reality. What we have is a problem of consumerism - production not for our needs but for our uncontrolled appetites. We are alienated from the rest of nature. Redistributing resources equally is not the answer - this is a problem of consciousness.

[Marko Kraguljac]

At this point, culture is the biggest obstacle to this.. legions of people are conditioned to defend their own slavery.. it will be interesting to observe how wild west mentality crumbles giving way and allowing people to be human again.. not consumers or flesh robots for account of bosses and their spin doctors.

[zardozcs]

Is this meant to be serious!?! If so, it's really bad. You'd have to be pretty naive to be taken in by any of it.

[joskemom]

Yea, this video is the type of stupidity that the Z movement is based on.

[herpiethelovebug]

Nice. Kinda looks like we are headed that way.