Over the weekend I read a very long article by Australian economist John Quiggin. The primary intention seemed to be to explore how close we are or aren't to John Maynard Keynes' idea of a technology induced utopia where work weeks are much shorter and people have more time to engage in leisurely pursuits.
The article seemed to have something for everyone (because of how long it was). If there was something for everyone then there is plenty for people to disagree with also. There was a lot of talk about wealth redistribution and I believe the author's starting point is much further to the left than the typical US Democrat (if anything, I am a Libertarian).
I enjoy reading things that I don't expect to agree with because I think they can teach me more about what I believe in. The above linked article was such that I think readers could take what they wanted.
Keynes' primetime was the 1930s (died in 1946) and so early in his lifetime many people worked very long and hard days in factories and then came the Great Depression and so his idea utopia seemed to be about less time in the factories thanks to technological innovation that would lead to a better quality of life. There was also plenty in there about Thomas Malthus and his ideas on utopias and demographics.
The way I read the article it seemed like the utopian ideal was more of a top down idea that is/would be provided but I think of American capitalism as having the opportunity to create your own utopia. Taken to a literal extreme, it is not logical that everyone's idea of utopia is a 15 hour work week which is the number Keynes himself came up with. People fortunate enough to love their jobs probably want to work more than 15 hours.
Keynes' idea, regardless of what you think about it, would have come about as a function of social evolution had he been right. I think the way things have evolved in the last few years there is opportunity for people to find their own utopia but sadly it is more difficult than it was ten years ago. A byproduct of the financial crisis is that there are more obstacles than there used to be. This makes a self-defined utopia more difficult but I believe achievable for people who figure out what they really want, can assess prudent risks to take and have the courage to take them.
Proud Member Of
Random Roger
© 2009 | Gadget Theme Blogger Template
Original WPtheme By Blogger Template | Converted By Gadget Lover
| Distributed by eFree Blogger Help
Original WPtheme By Blogger Template | Converted By Gadget Lover
| Distributed by eFree Blogger Help
9 comments:
I've seen several articles on this subject lately; this paper must have inspired them. The gist of the articles has been "Americans are working longer and longer hours, but we're getting to the point where technology will reverse that."
I'm not sure I agree with the idea, but I'll have to make time to check out this paper.
John Quiggin is much brighter than your average bear and more thoughtful to boot ...bound to make a body a little more thoughtful too* whether it clashes or simply offers a different slant on what you thought you knew.
My own view is that increasing automation will force an era when leisure, education and other values will either replace consumption as the dominant drivers of capitalism or society will become dystopian; e.g., an extremely large and growing underclass, etc.
*"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." -Aristotle
I like the Aristotle quote.
If people start their own business utopia can be easily had today. But not during the start up phase when you start it on your kitchen table and work twice as much.
SEG
SEG, exactly what I mean by assessing risk and the courage to take them
Work weeks are already much shorter, because technology, automation, and productivity improvements have destroyed jobs. "Utopia" has been replaced with "welfare".
1. Work weeks are longer, unless you'd like to compare 2 things that can't really be compares, like the 2000s to the 1910s or something.
2. We have more jobs now than we did when "technology and automation" started "destroying" jobs a couple of decades ago. Those jobs are different, as we move from a manufacturing economy to a service economy - that move is a big part of this economic downtown we're in.
Can society prosper by becoming a "service economy" with less goods produced?
I believe we have mispriced service providers (athletes, film stars, CEO's). How will this be corrected?
Service providers are companies like FedEx, Amazon, Google, Verizon, Citibank, etc. They don't manufacture products.
I'm not sure why you bring up athletes and film stars.
We don't produce less goods. Manufacturing output in the U.S. is is steady or even growing. We just do it with far far fewer people. Same thing happened to agriculture in the 1920s and 30s.
Post a Comment