About education -- in a future in which the economic difficulties being discussed are worked out to some extent, there will be a lot of free time. Furthering one's education seems like a good way to spend some of this time. I suspect that education will change significantly in the next 200 years, which is not to suggest that it will be unrecognizable. But if there is less pressure to get a job in order to survive and prosper, there may be less pressure to obtain a bachelor's degree, in contrast to getting specific certifications, which could potentially undercut the current tuition inflation.
About the replacement of jobs by robots -- this is obviously happening and will increasingly happen. But I think the argument only goes so far. Not all creative jobs carried out by people will be replaced by robotic labor (I don't think anyone is arguing the extreme version of this). I doubt there will ever be a time when robotic art, or music, or essays, political analyses or high-end mandolins will ever rival the best work of humans. This is not to say that many jobs that are currently somewhat creative will not be replaced. To elaborate, consider that for the last 50-60 years people have been infatuated with fast food, which has a consistent taste and presentation wherever you buy it. There has been a similar uniformity in homes, suburban neighborhoods, furniture and fruit and vegetables. But in recent years there has been a general reassessment of these kinds of preferences, and people have become more willing to pay more for the hand-made and idiosyncratic stuff. I see this trend increasing over time. In addition, there are areas that people may naturally gravitate towards, such as gardening, which, although the work could be capably carried out by a sufficiently intelligent set of robots, people might want to do themselves. The main point, then, is that in an economy in which scarcity is not a motivating factor, people will not be forced to do undignified work. All of that is very bright and rosy. I am pessimistic that the transition to such a future will be a smooth and pleasant one. Eric
