Re:'Techno-Optimism' Is Not Something You Should Believe In
by oceanplexian on Sunday October 22, 2023 @03:36PM
(#37978374)
It doesn’t really matter if the delta shrinks, if, in absolute terms people in the bottom and middle are better off. This is the problem I have with the framing of wealth inequality.
If you're better off than a king was 100 years ago, and there’s a billionaire out there that’s a thousand times richer than you are, what’s the issue? I’d rather live in a high-delta society than a society where everyone is equal, but equally destitute (Venezuela, Cuba, etc).
Re:'Techno-Optimism' Is Not Something You Should Believe In
by ethanbond on Sunday October 22, 2023 @03:49PM
(#37978479)
Re:'Techno-Optimism' Is Not Something You Should Believe In
by TotalCrackpot on Monday October 23, 2023 @12:16AM
(#37981550)
There are high delta societies where almost everyone is destitute too like Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Re:'Techno-Optimism' Is Not Something You Should Believe In
by RAIN92 on Monday October 23, 2023 @09:13AM
(#37985138)
Are we, really? Do we have King's financial independence, spare time, crazy useless dinners and parties?
Working your a* off for free (yep, in many countries you have a lot of free labour, free internships, slavery-like conditions) for future opportunities™ and still fighting for remote working.
my ancestors worked from home (as sharecroppers the land was literally behind the house) and at least they had lunch paid for by the feudal lord.
Each new technological advancement seems to be more marginally valuable to the top of our society than to the bottom, and that delta seems to be growing over time not shrinking. I suspect “lower level” innovations in the value chain would be different, e.g. agriculture or energy, but let’s be honest about what actually consumes most of our industry’s talent and capital (as allocated by very very few unelected billionaires).
Even if absolute quality of life/prosperity increases, the delta itself is a really, really serious destabilizing force. In fact we know that people can live stably and happily in fairly destitute conditions, not that that should be the goal.