This article makes an attempt to understand and predict the consequences of the rapid automation/computerization in the realm of human work. I make them based on my experiences as a software engineer, while I am fully aware that programming is not threatened to be eradicated by automation in the next decades. For that reason, I realize that I am holding a privileged position.

In the second part of the article, I argue why work in general should be voluntary within a welfare state and why the governments main task should be to create a situation where humans dont' have to work in order to obtain the bare essentials such as housing, food and healthcare.

What is work?

So what exactly is work? Work is something that sucks, right? After all, if I could spend my time without having to worry about finances, I'd rather spend my days at a tropic beach drinking some beers and doing exactly nothing.

But for how long? When would my natural urge to be productive kick in? I assume that after a couple of days, I would start a project that consumes my time. But since I don't have to worry about it's financial …

Continue reading