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A comment on Adam Smith did not mean what he is often made to say (1998). Parent comment

Re:Adam Smith did not mean what he is often made to say (1998) by goodpoint on Sunday March 13, 2022 @02:02PM (#30663972)
> What's changed: automation creating value automatically, different from rent-seeking.

Nothing new. Industrialization in the 19th century was all about automation and created both poverty and inequality for factory workers.

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Re:Adam Smith did not mean what he is often made to say (1998) by simonh on Sunday March 13, 2022 @06:08PM (#30666237)
Factory workers were paid several times as much as agricultural labourers, that’s why they went to work in factories. Industrialisation also drastically reduced the cost and increased the quality of manufactured goods including basics like dyed cloth, bread, soap, etc making them much more affordable to people.
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Re:Adam Smith did not mean what he is often made to say (1998) by goodpoint on Sunday March 13, 2022 @07:06PM (#30666662)
> Factory workers were paid several times as much as agricultural labourers

This generalization is historically false. Please inform yourself.

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