> There have been lots of technology x replacing a manual process with the promise that "now instead of doing y, the person is now free to explore more leisurely pursuits."

Yeah, the "free to explore more leisurely pursuits" part is contrived in most cases, but there is a real argument for automating work that's "dirty, dangerous, or dull" -- freeing humans to do the parts of the work that's more interesting, meaningful, safer, cleaner, etc.