New Technologies for New Jobs

The unpreceded advancement of technology at the end of the previous and at the beginning of this century already makes it possible for most of the work now performed by humans to be done by robots supported by artificial intelligence.

There is a fear that there will be fewer jobs and unemployment will increase substantially. Such concern is undoubtedly justified, but the (neo-liberal) economists try to convince us that new technologies create new jobs. That we have nothing to fear.

Wait a minute. New technologies create new jobs. Is it really the purpose of new technology to create new jobs? I'm a little confused.

Let's look back a bit back to the time when a primitive man invented a spear that helped him catch wild game and a plug that made it easier to work on the field. Did he really create these tools to create more jobs? 

No, certainly not. He invented them to make life easier for him, to have more time for joy and rest. To create new technology only to create new jobs, to work more, and to create more stress definitely makes no sense. On the other hand, it also does not make any sense to develop new technology which causes that people lose their jobs.

What can we do then? Should we stop the development? Should we stop inventing? Not at all. We just have to rethink about what technology is meant for. We have to recognize that the only purpose of developing new technologies is to make life better, more comfortable, and more pleasant.

For a good life, we do not need jobs. We only need work to be done. We need food, we need housing, we need entertainment. "Bread and games," as it was said in Old Rome.

If we develop a technology that allows us to do the same work more efficiently, with less effort and in a shorter time, why should we still work same or even more than before? Why not work less and spend more time on personal development, family, friends, and entertainment? Is not this what the technology meant for -- to make life better?

With the invention of new technologies, we merely make rich men even richer. Due to increase efficiency, we create an abundance of products that nobody needs, which has a devastating effect on ecology. 

To increase the demand, we have to create new needs by aggressively advertising these products. More and more jobs are created in advertising, which produces nothing useful.

It is time to shorten work week (15 or less hours) to produce only goods that we need (no need to create new needs), which will raise the quality of our life (more free time, more time spent with family and friends) and at the same time help to preserve nature and prevent ecological disaster.Enormous and imp