Jobs, Poverty, Intellectual Property and the Posthuman Future -- Soc, $$$
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After reading some comments critical of intellectual property rights -- basically critical of the idea that intellectual property can belong to anyone, instead of automatically falling into the public domain -- I responded:
"Your points about intellectual property and relative wealth and poverty are also worth considering. Honestly, I think overwhelming material and intellectual-property-based wealth will relieve many of the immediate problems of real poverty -- lack of adequate food, shelter, clothes, health care and education. Nevertheless, one point that people who want to make intellectual property meaningless often do not consider is what kinds of jobs we want to see available in the future.
"If most forms of physical labor and simple intellectual labor -- and basically repetitive, easily broken down tasks of all kinds -- can be automated, what do you want ordinary or even extraordinary people to do in their spare time? One obvious option is to get as many people as possible working in the arts, sciences and technological development -- inventors, musicians, astronomers, biotech researchers, graphic artists, actors, playwrights, novelists, poets, short story writers, screenplay writers, etc.
"If we leave these career paths open to people, and particularly if we have nigh-unlimited material wealth, then there's basically no limit to how many brilliant or even modestly skilled people we can have contributing to society in these fields. There are, however, limits to how many cops, soldiers, legislators, doctors and lawyers we really need, as well as many other jobs seen as important for the function of modern-day society."
Future Imperative
After reading some comments critical of intellectual property rights -- basically critical of the idea that intellectual property can belong to anyone, instead of automatically falling into the public domain -- I responded:
"Your points about intellectual property and relative wealth and poverty are also worth considering. Honestly, I think overwhelming material and intellectual-property-based wealth will relieve many of the immediate problems of real poverty -- lack of adequate food, shelter, clothes, health care and education. Nevertheless, one point that people who want to make intellectual property meaningless often do not consider is what kinds of jobs we want to see available in the future.
"If most forms of physical labor and simple intellectual labor -- and basically repetitive, easily broken down tasks of all kinds -- can be automated, what do you want ordinary or even extraordinary people to do in their spare time? One obvious option is to get as many people as possible working in the arts, sciences and technological development -- inventors, musicians, astronomers, biotech researchers, graphic artists, actors, playwrights, novelists, poets, short story writers, screenplay writers, etc.
"If we leave these career paths open to people, and particularly if we have nigh-unlimited material wealth, then there's basically no limit to how many brilliant or even modestly skilled people we can have contributing to society in these fields. There are, however, limits to how many cops, soldiers, legislators, doctors and lawyers we really need, as well as many other jobs seen as important for the function of modern-day society."
Future Imperative
posted by Ralph Cerchione | Monday, August 29, 2005
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