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On Sunday, September 23, 2012 5:02:05 AM UTC+5:30, archytas wrote: > > I don't think competition works as Don suggests. In business we are > urged to focus on the best customers and rid ourselves of the others. > > On 22 Sep, 12:36, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > We don't get to dictate the behavior of our neighbors but we can sue > > or move. We don't get the same care/benefits- it's arbitrary- based on > > our best information and ability to be covered or to pay. > > > > On Sep 20, 11:33 pm, Don Johnson <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Thursday, September 20, 2012 8:25:16 PM UTC-5, rigsy03 wrote: > > > > > > It is also the joy of work- accomplishment, etc. rather than > > > > competing- maybe you are testing your own skills or mastering your > > > > abilities to repair something, create something. > > > > > One can certainly enjoy sprucing up one's home or automobile or garden > and > > > keep one self busy making sure our home appliances and robots are in > good > > > working order. We have plenty of practice so we get quite good at > these > > > chores that help ourselves and our families. But our neighbor prefers > to > > > play video games and watch cooking shows on tv instead of being > > > industrious. Well that won't work because we are all "entitled" to the > same > > > things, correct? So maybe I should go to my neighbor's house and work > on > > > his robots and appliances and prune his trees and cut his grass for > him. > > > This will, of course, require me to work much harder and the chores > around > > > my living space will suffer for it but that's ok because we all > deserve the > > > same benefits don't we? > > > > > Maybe not. > > > > > dj > > > > > > On Sep 20, 12:03 am, Don Johnson <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Reminds me of the Fritz Lang classic Metropolis. Who's going to > build > > > > and > > > > > repair and innovate the robots? Other robots? Haven't you seen "I, > > > > Robot" > > > > > or "Terminator?" There will always be greener grass somewhere and > people > > > > > will "compete" to occupy it. If it's not Financially perhaps we > will > > > > have > > > > > gladiatorial competitions to weed out the weak. Maybe we'll play > chess > > > > for > > > > > favors. Maybe we'll keep building robots to fight for us and play > chess > > > > for > > > > > us, I dunno. But we will always compete for what we want and we > will > > > > always > > > > > WANT what we don't HAVE. Doesn't matter if we already have > everything > > > > maybe > > > > > I want HER. Or HIM. Or that PARTICULAR view from that SPECIFIC > condo or > > > > > whatever. I'm no sociologist but I'm pretty sure the compitition > gene is > > > > > hardwired in the best of us and if we lose it we are doomed. I > mean > > > > extinct > > > > > doomed. > > > > > > > dj > > > > > > > On Wednesday, September 19, 2012 4:56:36 PM UTC-5, archytas wrote: > > > > > > Thought experiments are devices of the imagination used to > investigate > > > > > > the nature of things. Thought experimenting often takes place > when the > > > > > > method of variation is employed in entertaining imaginative > > > > > > suppositions. They are used for diverse reasons in a variety of > areas, > > > > > > including economics, history, mathematics, philosophy, and > physics. > > > > > > Most often thought experiments are communicated in narrative > form, > > > > > > sometimes through media like a diagram. Thought experiments > should be > > > > > > distinguished from thinking about experiments, from merely > imagining > > > > > > any experiments to be conducted outside the imagination, and > from > > > > > > psychological experiments with thoughts. They should also be > > > > > > distinguished from counterfactual reasoning in general, as they > seem > > > > > > to require an experimental element. > > > > > >http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/thought-experiment/ > > > > > > > > One I like is the notion of robot heaven. It's easy enough to > imagine > > > > > > a time when machines grow our food, build our shelter and do our > > > > > > work. The interesting stuff comes in thinking what this would > mean > > > > > > for wealth distribution and the nature of society. What work > would be > > > > > > left to do? One can also wonder what place any of our work > ethics > > > > > > would have in such a society. There may be some deconstructive > effect > > > > > > on just what current work ideologies are in place for. > > > > > > > > One of the great improvements technology brought to my life is > more or > > > > > > less never having to go into a bank. The only real innovations > in > > > > > > banking are the ATM and electronic banking. This kind of > technology > > > > > > and similar in agriculture and industry fundamentally reduce the > > > > > > amount of human effort to grow and make what we need. We are in > > > > > > partial state of robot heaven. > > > > > > > > Our ideologies are not up to speed. Real unemployment is > massive and > > > > > > education does little to provide job skills. We are sold > life-styles > > > > > > and products by insane advertising. Job creation seems to be in > > > > > > perverse areas like financial services or bringing back attended > gas- > > > > > > pumps. With more efficient production we should be able to > afford a > > > > > > bigger social sector and I can't for the life of me understand > why we > > > > > > allow competition through crap wages and conditions. > > > > > > > > A great deal of what we pay for could be available more or less > free. > > > > > > Educational content and utility banking are examples - these are > areas > > > > > > that could be ratinalised like agriculture and manufacturing. > > > > > > Millions of jobs would go. We should be asking why jobs are so > > > > > > central to out thinking on wealth distribution and how we might > > > > > > encourage work without the rat race.- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > - Show quoted text - > --
