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

Revision as of 23:10, 24 October 2025

The 40-hour work week has been the standard since around 1940. 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. What happened? To put it simply:

Instead of working less, the economy has been geared towards producing more.

Of course in moderation, economic growth can improve quality of life, but in richer countries, this has already plateaued decades ago, all the while using more and more resources, harming the environment, raising the cost of living, and keeping people overworked. We can do better.

How:

Reduce production WITHOUT sacrificing anyone's basic needs (or anything else that matters).

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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 -->