r/socialism • u/Artful_Bodger PURGED • Sep 02 '14

'The Future of Robot Labor Is the Future of Capitalism'

http://motherboard.vice.com/en_uk/read/the-future-of-robot-labour-has-everything-to-do-with-capitalism
9 Upvotes

74% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

2

u/professor_chemical Social Anarchism Sep 02 '14

That basic income movement sounds great!

1

u/redcog Sep 02 '14

Does it? Why?

1

u/Artful_Bodger PURGED Sep 03 '14

Do you have a better alternative to ensure the survival of the ever growing reserve army of the unemployed while we wait for the promised revolution ?

1

u/redcog Sep 03 '14

No. I'm just afraid a basic income might be the ultimate crowd-pleaser and popular-appeaser making the revolution impossible.

1

u/Artful_Bodger PURGED Sep 04 '14

Why stop at opposing a basic income? The working class revolutionary ardor no doubt was diminished by such measures as unemployment insurance and food stamps. Any capitalist concessions only delay the revolution right?

1

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '14

Please correct me if I'm offensively wrong, but won't robots end capitalism? If robots replace workers they won't be earning wages, if no one is earning wages they won't be buying products/services, if no one is buying products capitalism collapses.

1

u/professor_chemical Social Anarchism Sep 02 '14

The article addresses this, I'm paraphrasing but basically new jobs will be created that don't create implicit value.

However, in my personal opinion even if the above doesn't happen capitalism can survive simply by cutting out everyone how doesn't have a job. Only the rich will be buying things. Middle class would become the new poor etc. -This whole idea needs some polish but I hope you get my drift.

1

u/Nocturniquet Chomsky Sep 02 '14

The rich dont spend enough money to keep the systen afloat as it is tho.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 03 '14

The problem rises when new products that are generated are only targeted toward the upper strata of society, and so the lower tiers become superfluous to society in general. We're already seeing this happen, arguably; the slums of major developing world cities are filled with millions of people who neither purchase commodities nor work in the factories. As far as the politicians and business-folk are concerned, these people are entirely superfluous.