Thomas Lunde wrote,
>Now as I have noted on FW before, when you start to examine the concept of
>Future-work, it soon passes beyond, shorter work weeks and other technical
>changes into a study of the ideas of economics and from there we find that
>it is the laws and directions of governments that actually will determine
>what the future of work will be.
I agree with Thomas' observation that this is what happens. But I disagree
with his conclusion that the "top of the heap" is the proper starting place
for the debate. What Thomas casually refers to as "technical changes" are
the substantive conditions under which different structures of governance
might be possible. In our society, paid work is the microstructure of
governance. Perhaps people find top of the heap questions easier to talk
about because they are harder to do anything about. Conversely, bottom of
the heap questions are harder to talk about because they indicate courses of
direct action that have personal consequences. It is the "sanctions"
involved in those personal consequences that keep most of us micro-governing
ourselves on behalf of the status quo.
Tom Walker
http://www.vcn.bc.ca/timework/
