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What are your thoughts on the future of the world and humanity as a whole?

Itsmeantonios

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Hi I hope everyone is doing well. I am taking a break from reading UNSCRIPTED for a second time and reflecting on my past and future. I've had some stuff on my mind and wanted to see what people in this community may think or feel about it. It doesn't exactly pertain to the TUNEF or UNSCRIPTED mindset so that's why I'm posting it in off-topic.

Something I enjoy spending time reading about is technology in general. I've read books by Ray Kurzweil, a famous inventor and futurist. I browse a few subreddits like Futurology, Singularity, and other such forums.

I am trying to change my mindset from a consumer to a producer like MJ outlines in his books and I will get there eventually though I struggle to think of how I can create value, especially when it seems like that will become more and more difficult as technology improves, and thus automation increases.

Something that I see quite often is people posting, or asking questions about an uncertain future, especially during the pandemic situation.

Some positive outcomes of the pandemic have been a larger push (in general, from many parties) towards a greener / more renewable energy future. This is excellent!
More people are able to work from home from changing office dynamics, and companies realizing "Hey, we don't actually need people to congregate in this physical office to perform their roles effectively!" This could lead to companies saving money on unnecessary building leases, thus freeing up that space for other, potentially more important uses.

Something else that comes up in the technology discussion world is increased automation and what that means for people. It's no secret that automation is "coming for" a lot, if not most of people's jobs. A big example is the work being done in autonomous vehicles, driven largely by the work done by Tesla. When automated vehicles become mainstream, and I believe they will, it will make millions of people's jobs obsolete.

Something else I see happening from technology being created is obsolescence of many things. For example, Elon Musk started a company a while back called Neuralink. He has gone on record in interviews about the potential impacts of this technology. For anyone unfamiliar with Neuralink, it is a BCI (brain computer interface) chip that will connect directly to the brain via filaments (extremely tiny wires) implanted directly into the brain via a highly precise, automated robot surgeon. This chip can impact many different aspects of the brain, depending where it is implanted (or perhaps, how many you have implanted). Elon has stated that he believes this technology could make possible essentially telepathic communication between humans in 5-10 years. (Obviously, only between people who have the device implanted). His statement was interesting in the sense that he underlines the fact that language is a hurdle of communication itself. How often do you have a thought or emotion that you are unable to properly convey due to lack of language understanding? The device could effectively transmit your actual thoughts or emotions for direct interpretation, instead of being needed to be translated into a language first.

I've seen all kinds of interviews, TED talks, etc from experts in the field of AI, neuroscience, etc. I have been interested in this stuff since my teenage years. It appears clear we are heading towards a Matrix like scenario, where anyone could obtain whatever knowledge they desire or need at the time. This would render so many things and professions obsolete. Why would you need someone to do anything for you if you could just download the knowledge for whatever it is you're trying to do? Essentially, our brains are going to get directly connected to the internet, and that brings a lot of societal issues.

Back to automation and discussions I see surrounding this quite often. As more and more humans are rendered obsolete because a computer, robot, or AI has taken their job, more and more humans will become unemployed, or worse, unemployable. Further technological improvement and automation will exacerbate this problem.

People turn to ideas like UBI (Universal Basic Income) to cover the basic needs of people so everyone isn't just living in poverty. Not only do I believe this is not plausible solution (for several reasons) but it's kind of ignoring the basic underlying paradox behind automation in relation to how society currently operations (under capitalism and consumption). One of the main reasons I don't believe a UBI is a solution is because it's impossibly expensive tofund. Say a UBI of $2000 per month for every adult in America is proposed. Well, there are approximately 200,000,000 adults in America (more, actually). It would require $400 BN per month to fund that, or $4.8 TN per year. Where do people believe this money is going to come from? Previous presidential candidate Andrew Yang says the majority of the funds would come from the removal of the old welfare system as well as all the monetary overhead associated with that. (Humans figuring out whether someone qualifies for welfare. Following up to see if they are searching for a job, etc etc etc). OK, that's part of the funding, but what else?? People often say well, taxation of the wealthy and the corporations, or some kind of "wealth tax." Excuse me, what? Doesn't that seem counter-intuitive? (and also impossible from a tax point of view. This much money could not be extracted in the form of taxes) I feel like it would stifle innovation. I am Canadian, and in Canada, the yearly income taxes everyone pays goes towards the federal government's debt (deficit), not to pay for a welfare system (or UBI).

The way I see it, as the world becomes more and more automated companies/corporations will enjoy growing revenues from massive wage cost savings. But this can only improve up to a certain point. If all of humankind who don't own a company benefiting from these technological improvements are increasingly becoming devalued, unemployed, unemployable, (meaning they will have decreased money for spending) WHO is going to consume the goods and/or services these corporations are producing? It's a catch 22. A double edges sword. How can capitalism or consumerism in its current form exist in a world of increasing (or even absolute) automation?? I don't believe it can.

From all the stuff I read and watch on technology, it seems clear that eventually humanity is going to enter a phase of post-scarcity. Abundance. Wealth for all because of the wonders of technology. Capitalism as we know it today will not exist, or need to exist. People might not even exist in the real world as they do today. We could end up in a Matrix like future except everyone knows they're in a virtual world and prefer it that way. I think this is a very long way off, but still a possibility....Who knows....

But it looks really scary from an average joe point of view. People will increasingly become devalued, or even completely devoid of value. This will create a lot of turmoil...If the world really is moving toward an abundance for all end-game, the time between now and then is going to be extremely scary.

Thoughts?
 
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Last edited:

drahz

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I think that the future where we will all end up in Matrix is quite FAR. But the trend in the automation of everything is already present and I think that the government will put heavy taxation on companies replacing people with robots (some countries like South Korea already do that). So this tax can become a base for UBI.

If people cannot get income in any way, the economy will stop existing. There will be no people willing to buy a new IPhone or car or anything. Other than that if people will end up on the street not able to earn a living, a crime rate will skyrocket. No country would risk destabilization like this, the government will find a way how to get people busy and employed. And for the government, it is better if people are working and saving money to spend it on stupid stuff, than getting UBI and doing too much "thinking."
 

magicmike

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Looking at the bigger picture, it's strange to think what is the point of it all. Making a business that sells products or services to people, in our western cultural system of overproduction and overconsumption sometimes I think, is it really worth actually playing this game we're playing?

Luckily for me bills need to get paid so reality answers that question with a resounding yes.

We're already seeing a wave of lifestyle minimalists who are consciously trying to consume less and less (there are probably many on this forum). Human civilisation may change gradually to a point where people aren't expected to consume so much to show off to one another, and if that is the case then many businesses and industries that are thriving now will slowly die off.

On the topic of UBI, it may come to a point where society separates into two classes. The people that own and control the machinery and have most of the wealth and the people that live off UBI. I think there will be much less of a stigma surrounding getting "free money" but there may have to be an incentive to prevent people from taking the UBI and having loads and loads of babies (because that would cause a situation where the population would rapidly increase and put a strain on the planets resources).

EDIT: Also I think the lifestyle minimalist class may also become the class of artisans. People that create one off pieces of art or products that are ultra unique but cannot be sold at scale. (Music, sculptures, visual art etc.)

Perhaps the class of people that take the UBI will be the "minimalist" class and the machinery owners will be the "class of excess".

Right now the problem with wealth inequality is two fold I think:

1) The classes of people who are "minimalist" feel like they don't have control of their class position. They don't feel like they can pick, so they're pissed that they don't have much "stuff" and are angry at people that do.

2) Moving between the two classes is genuinely very difficult, most of the people in the machine owner class are there because of factors outside of their conscious choice or awareness. Someway, somehow these people have come across "proprietary knowledge" and "unconventional wisdom" that has allowed them to switch to the overproductive class. Heck, take this forum as a minor example. There is so much life changing information on this forum, that many members of the general public don't have access to. Stumbling upon this forum was somewhat circumstantial for all of us.
 

Itsmeantonios

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Looking at the bigger picture, it's strange to think what is the point of it all. Making a business that sells products or services to people, in our western cultural system of overproduction and overconsumption sometimes I think, is it really worth actually playing this game we're playing?

Luckily for me bills need to get paid so reality answers that question with a resounding yes.

We're already seeing a wave of lifestyle minimalists who are consciously trying to consume less and less (there are probably many on this forum). Human civilisation may change gradually to a point where people aren't expected to consume so much to show off to one another, and if that is the case then many businesses and industries that are thriving now will slowly die off.

On the topic of UBI, it may come to a point where society separates into two classes. The people that own and control the machinery and have most of the wealth and the people that live off UBI. I think there will be much less of a stigma surrounding getting "free money" but there may have to be an incentive to prevent people from taking the UBI and having loads and loads of babies (because that would cause a situation where the population would rapidly increase and put a strain on the planets resources).

EDIT: Also I think the lifestyle minimalist class may also become the class of artisans. People that create one off pieces of art or products that are ultra unique but cannot be sold at scale. (Music, sculptures, visual art etc.)

Perhaps the class of people that take the UBI will be the "minimalist" class and the machinery owners will be the "class of excess".

Right now the problem with wealth inequality is two fold I think:

1) The classes of people who are "minimalist" feel like they don't have control of their class position. They don't feel like they can pick, so they're pissed that they don't have much "stuff" and are angry at people that do.

2) Moving between the two classes is genuinely very difficult, most of the people in the machine owner class are there because of factors outside of their conscious choice or awareness. Someway, somehow these people have come across "proprietary knowledge" and "unconventional wisdom" that has allowed them to switch to the overproductive class. Heck, take this forum as a minor example. There is so much life changing information on this forum, that many members of the general public don't have access to. Stumbling upon this forum was somewhat circumstantial for all of us.
I'm one of those minimalist type people you're describing, except I'm not pissed about it.

I don't enjoy having a bunch of stuff. I can ALMOST fit everything I own in my small Toyota Yaris subcompact hatchback.

In fact, I can transport everything I own with that 1 vehicle, by way of tying some things to the roof and using a small rack on the back. I've done it.

I prefer things that way. I just don't want to have a whole bunch of stuff. I don't even really want to own a house because I don't want to even think about the maintenance and everything else it requires. Of course, if I were wealthy I could have both of those things, as I would just pay someone to deal with those things I don't want to deal with, but that's kind of beside the point.

Interesting perspective you have...
 
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PseudoBobSmith

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Jun 8, 2020
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Hi I hope everyone is doing well. I am taking a break from reading UNSCRIPTED for a second time and reflecting on my past and future. I've had some stuff on my mind and wanted to see what people in this community may think or feel about it. It doesn't exactly pertain to the TUNEF or UNSCRIPTED mindset so that's why I'm posting it in off-topic.

Something I enjoy spending time reading about is technology in general. I've read books by Ray Kurzweil, a famous inventor and futurist. I browse a few subreddits like Futurology, Singularity, and other such forums.

I am trying to change my mindset from a consumer to a producer like MJ outlines in his books and I will get there eventually though I struggle to think of how I can create value, especially when it seems like that will become more and more difficult as technology improves, and thus automation increases.

Something that I see quite often is people posting, or asking questions about an uncertain future, especially during the pandemic situation.

Some positive outcomes of the pandemic have been a larger push (in general, from many parties) towards a greener / more renewable energy future. This is excellent!
More people are able to work from home from changing office dynamics, and companies realizing "Hey, we don't actually need people to congregate in this physical office to perform their roles effectively!" This could lead to companies saving money on unnecessary building leases, thus freeing up that space for other, potentially more important uses.

Something else that comes up in the technology discussion world is increased automation and what that means for people. It's no secret that automation is "coming for" a lot, if not most of people's jobs. A big example is the work being done in autonomous vehicles, driven largely by the work done by Tesla. When automated vehicles become mainstream, and I believe they will, it will make millions of people's jobs obsolete.

Something else I see happening from technology being created is obsolescence of many things. For example, Elon Musk started a company a while back called Neuralink. He has gone on record in interviews about the potential impacts of this technology. For anyone unfamiliar with Neuralink, it is a BCI (brain computer interface) chip that will connect directly to the brain via filaments (extremely tiny wires) implanted directly into the brain via a highly precise, automated robot surgeon. This chip can impact many different aspects of the brain, depending where it is implanted (or perhaps, how many you have implanted). Elon has stated that he believes this technology could make possible essentially telepathic communication between humans in 5-10 years. (Obviously, only between people who have the device implanted). His statement was interesting in the sense that he underlines the fact that language is a hurdle of communication itself. How often do you have a thought or emotion that you are unable to properly convey due to lack of language understanding? The device could effectively transmit your actual thoughts or emotions for direct interpretation, instead of being needed to be translated into a language first.

I've seen all kinds of interviews, TED talks, etc from experts in the field of AI, neuroscience, etc. I have been interested in this stuff since my teenage years. It appears clear we are heading towards a Matrix like scenario, where anyone could obtain whatever knowledge they desire or need at the time. This would render so many things and professions obsolete. Why would you need someone to do anything for you if you could just download the knowledge for whatever it is you're trying to do? Essentially, our brains are going to get directly connected to the internet, and that brings a lot of societal issues.

Back to automation and discussions I see surrounding this quite often. As more and more humans are rendered obsolete because a computer, robot, or AI has taken their job, more and more humans will become unemployed, or worse, unemployable. Further technological improvement and automation will exacerbate this problem.

People turn to ideas like UBI (Universal Basic Income) to cover the basic needs of people so everyone isn't just living in poverty. Not only do I believe this is not plausible solution (for several reasons) but it's kind of ignoring the basic underlying paradox behind automation in relation to how society currently operations (under capitalism and consumption). One of the main reasons I don't believe a UBI is a solution is because it's impossibly expensive tofund. Say a UBI of $2000 per month for every adult in America is proposed. Well, there are approximately 200,000,000 adults in America (more, actually). It would require $400 BN per month to fund that, or $4.8 TN per year. Where do people believe this money is going to come from? Previous presidential candidate Andrew Yang says the majority of the funds would come from the removal of the old welfare system as well as all the monetary overhead associated with that. (Humans figuring out whether someone qualifies for welfare. Following up to see if they are searching for a job, etc etc etc). OK, that's part of the funding, but what else?? People often say well, taxation of the wealthy and the corporations, or some kind of "wealth tax." Excuse me, what? Doesn't that seem counter-intuitive? (and also impossible from a tax point of view. This much money could not be extracted in the form of taxes) I feel like it would stifle innovation. I am Canadian, and in Canada, the yearly income taxes everyone pays goes towards the federal government's debt (deficit), not to pay for a welfare system (or UBI).

The way I see it, as the world becomes more and more automated companies/corporations will enjoy growing revenues from massive wage cost savings. But this can only improve up to a certain point. If all of humankind who don't own a company benefiting from these technological improvements are increasingly becoming devalued, unemployed, unemployable, (meaning they will have decreased money for spending) WHO is going to consume the goods and/or services these corporations are producing? It's a catch 22. A double edges sword. How can capitalism or consumerism in its current form exist in a world of increasing (or even absolute) automation?? I don't believe it can.

From all the stuff I read and watch on technology, it seems clear that eventually humanity is going to enter a phase of post-scarcity. Abundance. Wealth for all because of the wonders of technology. Capitalism as we know it today will not exist, or need to exist. People might not even exist in the real world as they do today. We could end up in a Matrix like future except everyone knows they're in a virtual world and prefer it that way. I think this is a very long way off, but still a possibility....Who knows....

But it looks really scary from an average joe point of view. People will increasingly become devalued, or even completely devoid of value. This will create a lot of turmoil...If the world really is moving toward an abundance for all end-game, the time between now and then is going to be extremely scary.

Thoughts?
I am no expert, or very knowledgeable about the subject. However I found this very interesting, I enjoy your thoughts on UBI, and one solution that is possible that I have seen, is outer space mining. If we start to mine the mineral and metals, it might be able to bring in resources. it might lead to the abundance allowing us to use the wealth. And I am not up to date on all the science. However, I do think, if we do get to the point where AI and Automation will take over the jobs. New Jobs will appear, and we will lose those menial jobs. There is always a disrupting technology, that usually ripples and creates new industries. We used to use horse, now we have cars. AI and Automation maybe a solution for work we usually use to have other individuals who some maybe deem be exploited. Would that not be better for society, would that not allow individuals to explore creative outlooks. And I do believe humans as a whole will always want to explore. We have a curiosity and wonder we always want to know. I know currently a few companies and multiple countries are trying to map the ocean, the last frontier on earth, they say. I believe consumerism will exist because people always enjoy creating, and there are those who always enjoy collection or appreciating. We shall see, first we have to finish 2020.
 

James Klymus

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If you want to know the future, Look at our past.

Technology will keep advancing, and more automation will continue. Read the book "Economics in One Lesson" it was written around the 1940's, and you will find that the author talks about how people hated the loom at first because they thought it would take away all the jobs!

Politics will continue on with their power struggles in the background of normal people's lives.

Nations and empires will rise and fall, just as they always have.

I think the underlying idea of "what do you think the future will hold" is sort of a misunderstanding of the human species. What I mean by that is we face the same issues we always have as a species, just with a different set of people and circumstances.

Look at what's going on today. There are power struggles between political parties, just as there always has been. Fascism, authoritarianism, oligarchies and monarchies have always been the standard through out history, and here in America there's a fight against it.

I by no means am an expert, but study human behavior and you can reasonably predict the future. Humans aren't going to have any major changes for thousands of more years, if we manage to continue survival. The technology and environments we live in will continue to change though.
 

Lyinx

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I have an uncle that is/was hard set against automation (nobody will have jobs, is what he said)

My mom agreed.

I asked her if she would be willing to wash her clothes by hand instead of the washing machine?
Then I asked if she would be willing to mill the wheat into flour by hand to make bread?



She decided that the level of automation that we have today is acceptable, but no more! I got a good laugh out of it :)
 
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Itsmeantonios

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I am no expert, or very knowledgeable about the subject. However I found this very interesting, I enjoy your thoughts on UBI, and one solution that is possible that I have seen, is outer space mining. If we start to mine the mineral and metals, it might be able to bring in resources. it might lead to the abundance allowing us to use the wealth. And I am not up to date on all the science. However, I do think, if we do get to the point where AI and Automation will take over the jobs. New Jobs will appear, and we will lose those menial jobs. There is always a disrupting technology, that usually ripples and creates new industries. We used to use horse, now we have cars. AI and Automation maybe a solution for work we usually use to have other individuals who some maybe deem be exploited. Would that not be better for society, would that not allow individuals to explore creative outlooks. And I do believe humans as a whole will always want to explore. We have a curiosity and wonder we always want to know. I know currently a few companies and multiple countries are trying to map the ocean, the last frontier on earth, they say. I believe consumerism will exist because people always enjoy creating, and there are those who always enjoy collection or appreciating. We shall see, first we have to finish 2020.
Interesting that you mention asteroid mining.

I read an interesting book recently titled Fully Automated Luxury Communism.

The name is kinda scary, because communism as most think of it is a scary concept, but it's an interesting read. It's less about communism and more about how all the advances in technology could basically turn the world into communism because everything would just be automated and people all over the world would be wealthy because of it. One of the things he talks about is asteroid mining and how not only would it solve a lot of resource problems, but the first couple big companies that successfully do it will become EXTREMELY EXTREMELY rich. Richer than anyone ever before and I can totally see it.
 

Lyinx

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Hi I hope everyone is doing well. I am taking a break from reading UNSCRIPTED for a second time and reflecting on my past and future. I've had some stuff on my mind and wanted to see what people in this community may think or feel about it. It doesn't exactly pertain to the TUNEF or UNSCRIPTED mindset so that's why I'm posting it in off-topic.

Something I enjoy spending time reading about is technology in general. I've read books by Ray Kurzweil, a famous inventor and futurist. I browse a few subreddits like Futurology, Singularity, and other such forums.

I am trying to change my mindset from a consumer to a producer like MJ outlines in his books and I will get there eventually though I struggle to think of how I can create value, especially when it seems like that will become more and more difficult as technology improves, and thus automation increases.

Something that I see quite often is people posting, or asking questions about an uncertain future, especially during the pandemic situation.

Some positive outcomes of the pandemic have been a larger push (in general, from many parties) towards a greener / more renewable energy future. This is excellent!
More people are able to work from home from changing office dynamics, and companies realizing "Hey, we don't actually need people to congregate in this physical office to perform their roles effectively!" This could lead to companies saving money on unnecessary building leases, thus freeing up that space for other, potentially more important uses.

Something else that comes up in the technology discussion world is increased automation and what that means for people. It's no secret that automation is "coming for" a lot, if not most of people's jobs. A big example is the work being done in autonomous vehicles, driven largely by the work done by Tesla. When automated vehicles become mainstream, and I believe they will, it will make millions of people's jobs obsolete.

Something else I see happening from technology being created is obsolescence of many things. For example, Elon Musk started a company a while back called Neuralink. He has gone on record in interviews about the potential impacts of this technology. For anyone unfamiliar with Neuralink, it is a BCI (brain computer interface) chip that will connect directly to the brain via filaments (extremely tiny wires) implanted directly into the brain via a highly precise, automated robot surgeon. This chip can impact many different aspects of the brain, depending where it is implanted (or perhaps, how many you have implanted). Elon has stated that he believes this technology could make possible essentially telepathic communication between humans in 5-10 years. (Obviously, only between people who have the device implanted). His statement was interesting in the sense that he underlines the fact that language is a hurdle of communication itself. How often do you have a thought or emotion that you are unable to properly convey due to lack of language understanding? The device could effectively transmit your actual thoughts or emotions for direct interpretation, instead of being needed to be translated into a language first.

I've seen all kinds of interviews, TED talks, etc from experts in the field of AI, neuroscience, etc. I have been interested in this stuff since my teenage years. It appears clear we are heading towards a Matrix like scenario, where anyone could obtain whatever knowledge they desire or need at the time. This would render so many things and professions obsolete. Why would you need someone to do anything for you if you could just download the knowledge for whatever it is you're trying to do? Essentially, our brains are going to get directly connected to the internet, and that brings a lot of societal issues.

Back to automation and discussions I see surrounding this quite often. As more and more humans are rendered obsolete because a computer, robot, or AI has taken their job, more and more humans will become unemployed, or worse, unemployable. Further technological improvement and automation will exacerbate this problem.

People turn to ideas like UBI (Universal Basic Income) to cover the basic needs of people so everyone isn't just living in poverty. Not only do I believe this is not plausible solution (for several reasons) but it's kind of ignoring the basic underlying paradox behind automation in relation to how society currently operations (under capitalism and consumption). One of the main reasons I don't believe a UBI is a solution is because it's impossibly expensive tofund. Say a UBI of $2000 per month for every adult in America is proposed. Well, there are approximately 200,000,000 adults in America (more, actually). It would require $400 BN per month to fund that, or $4.8 TN per year. Where do people believe this money is going to come from? Previous presidential candidate Andrew Yang says the majority of the funds would come from the removal of the old welfare system as well as all the monetary overhead associated with that. (Humans figuring out whether someone qualifies for welfare. Following up to see if they are searching for a job, etc etc etc). OK, that's part of the funding, but what else?? People often say well, taxation of the wealthy and the corporations, or some kind of "wealth tax." Excuse me, what? Doesn't that seem counter-intuitive? (and also impossible from a tax point of view. This much money could not be extracted in the form of taxes) I feel like it would stifle innovation. I am Canadian, and in Canada, the yearly income taxes everyone pays goes towards the federal government's debt (deficit), not to pay for a welfare system (or UBI).

The way I see it, as the world becomes more and more automated companies/corporations will enjoy growing revenues from massive wage cost savings. But this can only improve up to a certain point. If all of humankind who don't own a company benefiting from these technological improvements are increasingly becoming devalued, unemployed, unemployable, (meaning they will have decreased money for spending) WHO is going to consume the goods and/or services these corporations are producing? It's a catch 22. A double edges sword. How can capitalism or consumerism in its current form exist in a world of increasing (or even absolute) automation?? I don't believe it can.

From all the stuff I read and watch on technology, it seems clear that eventually humanity is going to enter a phase of post-scarcity. Abundance. Wealth for all because of the wonders of technology. Capitalism as we know it today will not exist, or need to exist. People might not even exist in the real world as they do today. We could end up in a Matrix like future except everyone knows they're in a virtual world and prefer it that way. I think this is a very long way off, but still a possibility....Who knows....

But it looks really scary from an average joe point of view. People will increasingly become devalued, or even completely devoid of value. This will create a lot of turmoil...If the world really is moving toward an abundance for all end-game, the time between now and then is going to be extremely scary.

Thoughts?
I think that people need to get off of the news and focus on making the world a better place... including this forum :)
if you start with yourself, who knows where you'll get to in 50 years?
 

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