Current Events — HabitableZone

Current Events » in reply to Re: "Are jobs obsolete?"

Define "impossible".
Robert — (archived)

Rushkoff asserts that "America is productive enough that it could probably shelter, feed, educate, and even provide health care for its entire population with just a fraction of us actually working".

If Rushkoff is wrong, then why the overweaning pride in our economic system?

But if Rushkoff is right, and our economic system has succeeded beyond our wildest dreams, what comes next? I think that the conservative conception of laissez-faire capitalism as an eternal truth is a dead end because it doesn't allow for success.

You won't allow the old gentleman, Capitalism, to retire with dignity and gratitude for faithful service rendered. You want him to die chained to his desk.

The current algorithm is based on an assumption of scarcity, and Rushkoff makes a persuasive case that it's now choking in the face of abundance. It's reported that business are hoarding trillions of dollars in cash that they're unwilling to spend. And as I observed in the last post, we haven't forgotten how to manufacture things, build houses, and grow food. The resources and expertise haven't evaporated, they're just piling up in the corners and calcifying.

Why?

Look at the silver lining, Tom. This viewpoint means that I think Obama's jobs plan is, by definition, missing the point, and that must cheer you up.

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