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#1
12-20-2006, 07:19 AM
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Tools, progress, work
Question. Does the increased sophistication and amount of tools allow us to work less? Is there a correlation with the amount and sophistication of tools, and how much time humans spend working?
Will technology ever reach a point where the demand for human labor is significantly reduced? I'm not really looking for "answers", but for arguments, opinions, theories, etc. 
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#2
12-20-2006, 09:01 AM
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Re: Tools, progress, work
Seems to me the increased complexity and sophisication of the tool, the more time there has to be spent in learning to use those tools.
As for whether this does reduce the overall time necessary to do the same taks, it'd seem the initutive answer is yes, but is this the result of the tools or the organization of the work that creates the time savings? Probably a combination of the two. Overall physical work should drop over time and technological development, but I don't think it'll ever disappear. Because there are large numbers of people who enjoy manual labor, having a purpose, going around building things. Consider this: Is it more enjoyable to build your own addition to a house, or watching a machine do the work? Sure, the novelty of such would make it cool for a generation, then the ennui would smash through the population with potentially disastrous repercussions. People get irritable and fight when bored. I suppose it's a matter of opinion, though.
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#3
12-20-2006, 10:56 AM
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Re: Tools, progress, work
yeah, of course tools could make it so we don't need to work as much compared to earlier times. although we would have to live the lifestyle of people in earlier times as well. all we need are builders and farmers and clothesmakers and people to get that stuff to us.
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#6
12-20-2006, 03:43 PM
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Re: Tools, progress, work
Capital goods obviously allow you to work less doing the same thing you did previously without them, or else why would you invest in them?
The thing to understand is that capital goods free up and labor for additional production. Whether or not you use that freed up time and energy to produce new things, or consume it as liesure is an individual decision.
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#7
12-20-2006, 11:42 PM
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Re: Tools, progress, work
[ QUOTE ]
Capital goods obviously allow you to work less doing the same thing you did previously without them, or else why would you invest in them? The thing to understand is that capital goods free up and labor for additional production. Whether or not you use that freed up time and energy to produce new things, or consume it as liesure is an individual decision. [/ QUOTE ] Okay, I think this is where I was heading, but didn't know how to say it. So even if we have supermindbogglingheadexploding efficient tools that do so much for us, do you think we would still be doing a lot of work?
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#8
12-21-2006, 12:32 AM
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Re: Tools, progress, work
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] Capital goods obviously allow you to work less doing the same thing you did previously without them, or else why would you invest in them? The thing to understand is that capital goods free up and labor for additional production. Whether or not you use that freed up time and energy to produce new things, or consume it as liesure is an individual decision. [/ QUOTE ] Okay, I think this is where I was heading, but didn't know how to say it. So even if we have supermindbogglingheadexploding efficient tools that do so much for us, do you think we would still be doing a lot of work? [/ QUOTE ] Wants are endless. So, yes.
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