Why?
Can we assume a fraction of people would still be doing these relevant things and that it'd be enough to maintain a functioning society? If not, wouldn't that point towards the directions we need technology to evolve? Would paying more to the people who now don't need to work, but are willing to, suffice?
One thing I would bet on is that, in that scenario, degrading working conditions (as we frequently see in agriculture, transportation, etc) would make it harder to find people willing to subject themselves to them.
> Would paying more to the people who now don't need to work, but are willing to, suffice?
This is not possible because you cant simultaneously pay workers more (as a whole) and have them subsidize the non-working.
I admit it may be possible to reallocate compensation among the workers so that some get more, while collectively they get less.
- People that plant things
- People that harvest things (may be the same people, but maybe not)
- People that a order things to be planted (seeds)
- People that order/plan short term things to facilitate planting (fertilizer)
- People that make those short term things (who other industry, lots of people)
- People that order/plan long term things to facilitate planting (tractor)
- People that maintain long term things to facilitate planting (repair men)
- People that build systems to allow ordering of short term things
- People that build systems to allow ordering/renting/use of long term things
- People that build systems to allow finding people that maintain long term things
- People that handle making sure those ^ people have the infrastrucure they need (government + industry)
- People that handle making sure those ^ people get hired and paid
We are WAY beyond "in order to get food for people, we need Doug the farmer". So yes, a LOT of the people participating in this thread are in the set of people that are responsible for making sure people, as a whole, have access to food.
And food is only _one_ of the things needed for a society to function
You know, those guys who always dodge their round at the pub, they never pay you back that fiver, they always need somewhere to crash?
Hell, have you ever dated someone like that, or known a friend that has? One person goes to work, cooks, maintains the home, the other just spends their time on highfalutin' ideas like their photography project?
UBI to me sounds like a way of hiding that behind bureaucracy. I don't want to support people who don't do anything useful and purely consume resources.
If UBI means everyone at the place you work is actually motivated, and you never have to watch your friend support a free-loader again, I think we're probably better off as a society.
They use that free money to get you to do things for them.
It's hidden behind bureaucracy but it's the same thing. Worse, even, because you don't have a choice.
It's like the nonsense solutions the left propose for tackling crime. "If we give people X, they won't have to steal X". I mean, sure, because they have already gotten it from me for free...
This is one. We should go deeper into this question. I most certainly would continue doing a lot of the things I do now, but for fun and to progress the state-of-the-art in my field of work. I'd accept higher taxes in compensation for the assurance I will always be able to do what I do best, instead of what someone would pay me to do.
.. to pay taxes for social services.
> I'd accept higher taxes ...
how do you pay for these taxes if you have no job/income?
In both the US and UK over 30% of households are owned outright with no mortgage.
The economy is made up of us, it's not (predominantly) a downtrodden serving a tiny elite.
I agree it would be nice to weight 300 pounds and float around on a levitating lounge all day doing nothing but sadly we're just not at that point yet.
Yes, it IS a provocation. Let's go deeper into this question.
As much as people want. A subsistence lifestyle is incredibly cheap and accessible; most of us just don't want it.
More simply, value production is needed because value consumption is occurring.
How much value is needed is determined by the society through a free market.
