What is Reddit's opinion of Race Against The Machine: How the Digital Revolution is Accelerating Innovation, Driving Productivity, and Irreversibly Transforming Employment and the Economy?

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Have you read this book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005WTR4ZI/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

It's a pretty good read, but shows some interesting data. I'm far from an economist, and I don't think that it prescribes a total loss of work in the near future, but I do think it makes a pretty good argument for things being a touch different this time around. It also show's that jobs have been steadily decreasing for some time now (more than even most people who peg it around '08).

While I don't know that the Dystopian outlook is the correct one, I'm not sure that I think things are going to be rosy unless we start having conversations (thankfully, much like this one).

Honestly it's a good quick read, and the one that got me to see things in a different light.

Whereas I agree with the positive spin that you are looking under the umbrella of Technology.

Using terms like Technological Unemployment can lead to a negative connotation with Technology, due to the nature of what's going on (people loosing jobs, gaining time). I think that yes, in fact the future will look back on the situation that is happening and see it as you are describing, we are gaining Humanity. However, those who will go through the cultural transformation from putting personal and cultural value into different terms and a different look will cause disruption (and honestly disruption is only getting used to something new, good or bad). And I'm not saying this is bad, I'm saying that things are already at a point where we really need to start looking at what is going on and have a conversation about the direction we are heading, and what we are going to have to do about it.

The problem is that we are already seeing massive disruptions in the workforce, since the mid 90's we have a chain of work being displaced due to growing technology (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005WTR4ZI?redirect=true&ref_=kinw_myk_ro_title).

We are also under massive underemployment and a loss of almost half the workforce in america. (51% of all american workers make less than 30,000 a year, and 40+% are not even in the workforce: http://dailycaller.com/2015/10/25/1-in-2-working-americans-make-less-than-30000-a-year/)

Then take into account what the approval of the TPP is going to do to others in the American workforce. The value of distance workers in IT of near equal skill will displace a great deal of technological based jobs overseas. And for those countries that's going to be great. However, it will cost Americans jobs and the country a large well supported middle class.

"The Wall Street Journal calculated that the TPP would increase the U.S. trade deficit in manufacturing, car assembly and car parts by $55.8 billion a year by 2025. Using the U.S. Department of Commerce estimate of 6,000 jobs lost for every $1 billion in trade deficits, the TPP would cost another 330,000 American manufacturing workers their jobs, their income, their hopes." (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leo-w-gerard/the-tpp-another-deadly-tr_b_8505400.html)

The article above is talking about loosing 41% of employment in America within just 4 years. Being that it takes forever for a social program to be created, argued, and then implemented in America, 4 years is not enough time to create a backbone for people to be able to rely upon for the upcoming changes.

Is "technological unemployment" going to Kill off the human race, Goodness no. But it will cause enough of a disruption as people start changing the way they are thinking of work and employment, and basic human rights... and until those things are rethought, then there will be some degree of uncomfortableness, struggle, and hurt as we experience growing pains that are required for life in the upcoming age.

wrong

> All of the evidence regarding human beings shows that automation does not cause mass unemployment.

No Not even close to true.

>It's interesting that you say "this time is different". There was a huge movement to stop technological progress in the 1800s because of a fear of mass unemployment. Then again in the 1930s, a time when progressives were confident and successful, there was a panic over technological unemployment. Again in the 1960s, another time when progressives were confident and successful, there was another panic over technological unemployment. Now, in the 2010s, as progressives were successful and confident (until the 2016 election), there is another panic over technological unemployment.

This argument is an appeal to tradition fallacy not an argument.

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_unemployment#20th_century

As for the link you posted, keep reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_unemployment#21st_century

The 21 century section is a bit more clear about how circumstances have changed. The 20th century was a long time ago now... I think perhaps you are working with 20 year old understanding of the problem, and are not familiar with the current research.

This reminded me of this book that dissects the phenomenon pretty well.

Oh? How about Paul over at the NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/10/opinion/krugman-robots-and-robber-barons.html?ref=paulkrugman Or read this book by MIT Professors: http://www.amazon.com/Race-Against-The-Machine-ebook/dp/B005WTR4ZI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1363356368&sr=8-3&keywords=rise+against+the+machine

I provide proof and links. Your turn.