Re: Would you work if you didn’t have to?

Lodewijk andré de la porte l at odewijk.nl
Sun Sep 20 16:04:40 PDT 2015


2015-09-18 18:33 GMT+02:00 grarpamp <grarpamp at gmail.com>:

> Some balancing is needed, so we talk of BI, wealth leveling,
> universal healthcare, education, etc. This is natural control, happens
> when puppeteers make up 1% of 99% puppeted. As in history,
> if left unbalanced too long or deep, the slaves revolt and reboot.
>

This is one possible outcome -- but this is FAR from a revolt.

Just as likely is the outcome where Basic Income cattle is herded into
cheap everything arrangements, where they're offered "fun and fulfilling"
work for non-market pay. These humans will be entirely economically
detached. The overlords will reap their Basic Income, and allow them to
live month by month. (note: this already happens, you walk in a
Hyundai/Samsung build appartment block, where Lotte runs all the
supermarkets, and all the entertainment is provided by CJ, Koreans don't
fear big-corps, so they don't hide it, but I think this is probably true in
many places of the world)

Or, as in the amazing Cloud Atlas, we will create a caste-like society with
"producers", "consumers" and perhaps some other groups ("politicians"?
"Celebrities"?).

We may move from 99% to 99.9% puppets. It's just a way to generalize the
population, to silence the masses, to present happiness and freedom to be
guaranteed for all. Without alarm the watchers will turn to sleep, and
under that dark moon the world will change.

Simply put, it solves some problems but not all of them. BI can potentially
worsen the situation.

I think the immediate gain of guaranteed personal freedoms; freedom from
labor, freedom to self-improve, freedom to perform altruism, freedom to
perform art, and yes, even freedom to party, are worth a great deal. Yet,
it will create a future where nobody is willing to revolt, and the state is
in even further reaching control.

It also just upsets my minimal-government-preference somewhat. I just don't
like the idea of people living off of money I earned. It only makes sense
because money is already an abstract and perverted item, and because basic
needs will soon drop much further in their cost. (Especially if cheap
living becomes a greater priority)
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