We could be working less, even without AI: Difference between revisions

We could be working less, even without AI (view source)

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Elie

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-When people talk about shortening the work week, it's typical to imagine some future sci-fi society. But actually the idea has been '''viable''' for decades '''already'''.
+The 40-hour work week has been the standard since around 1940{{x|or in some cases, even earlier - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-hour_day_movement see Wikipedia's page on it for more details]}}.
+Since then, despite all the technological advancement - despite all the machines that are supposed to make things more ''efficient'' - we're still working just as many hours<!--{{p2|more, actually|more labor per capita, as a larger percent of the population is in the workforce, both men and women are working in general, and the cost of living has gotten higher...{{talk|TODO: check statistics to confirm}} }}-->.
+What happened? To put it simply:
-* This whole past century is full of mechanization & automation designed specifically to get more done using less labor. It's just that instead of using it to '''work less''', it's been used to {{t2|''produce more''|i.e. more goods & services, per capita. In other words, economic growth.{{pbr}}Increased production was good at some point in history, to improve quality of life - but that reached diminishing returns, while environmental impacts continued to increase. And ultimately, quality of life would be higher if people didn't have to work so much.}}.
+'''Instead of working less, the economy has been geared towards {{t2|producing more|i.e. more goods and services''}}''.'''
-To shorten the work week, we have to be upfront about exactly what we should '''produce less of.'''
+Of course in moderation, economic growth can improve quality of life{{x|albeit inefficiently and unequally}}, but in richer countries, this has already plateaued decades ago, <!--and we're heading towards environmental catastrophe-->all the while using more and more resources, harming the environment, raising the cost of living, and keeping people overworked. '''We can do better.'''
-* ''In other words'': Lower the cost of living, by getting rid of some inherent inefficiencies in the system {{light|(the type of inefficiencies that benefit no one except rich lobbyists)}}.
 <big>How:</big>
 * [[reduce production without causing shortages|'''Reduce production WITHOUT sacrificing anyone's basic needs''' (or anything else that matters)]].
-<!-- TALK: also mention [[bullshit jobs]] somewhere here? -->
+<!-- TALK: also mention [[bullshit jobs]] somewhere here? or on the target page? idk -->