Survival of the Fittest. That has been the story of all species on Earth that we have come to accept. And humans are not any different. Scarcity, and limited resources have driven nations to large scale wars and us to everyday skirmishes and petty behavior in our lives.
This basic reality has shaped our existence for thousands of years. Most of our time on Earth is consumed to fulfill our need for abundance. So what happens when scarcity is not the default state? Imagine what would you do if you do not have to work for survival? or to get most of the things that are currently classified as prized possessions. While No-Work may not be a desired state of things, we are hurtling toward a stage when almost everything that humans do today will be done by Artificial Intelligence governed devices.
In A Celebration Society, Jonathan Kolber simulates our civilization and living conditions to a time when finding work will become increasingly difficult. He begins with the discussion about the state of technical progress in current times and then imagines a world where Maslow’s Basic Needs are no longer in the equation.
Jonathan Kolber edited The Emerging Capital Report, an international investment advisory focused on breakthrough tech stocks published by Agora Financial. He also modernized Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, and edited an early version of New Money for a New World. He has been involved in technology startups since the 1980’s, and captivated by the dream of A Celebration Society since the 1960’s.
A Celebration Society
Author: Jonathan Kolber
Print Length: 311 pages
Publisher: Inciti Publishing, Inc. (November 30, 2015)
ASIN: B018RQTUNQ
We may not have achieved everything imagined in Back To the Future yet, but with rapid rise in computer speed, a robot driven work environment isn’t too distant. The author discusses the various functions that are already done by robots to point out loss of laborious jobs.
He cites various inventions and research approaches that have made one of the most skilled job functions of today, automatic. Artists, entertainers, and people who work in similar fields may think that their jobs cannot be replaced by a machine, but this has also been proven wrong. For example, IBM’s Watson is already churning out gourmet recipes and replacing chefs. The author gives examples of similar applications of Artificial Intelligence systems, where the machines are shifting most of the skilled functions to computers, which are doing it much better.
As discussed by other authors (Read: Digital Depression: Information Technology and Economic Crisis by Dan Schiller), this advance of technology has already rendered many jobless, and will soon make work unnecessary for humans. And this situation where Work, which has become our identity and become central to our existence, is unavailable, will create massive unemployment and dissatisfaction.
While the author’s arguments may sound fictional or futuristic, they are rooted in reality and facts. For example, when he points out that our science of Economics is based on the assumption that rate of consumption will always outstrip rate of production. But what if that assumption doesn’t hold true anymore? What if machines can produce faster than we can consume and come up with better solutions, faster.
The author takes a systematic look at every function of a civilization: from economics to well-being to governance, and paints a picture of a civilization that is based on abundance instead of scarcity.
He believes, the time has come for governments and world leaders to take heed of this situation and start the transition to a society where employment and work is not central. A state that, he believes, will unleash creativity and innovation when people stop to undercut each other and work in collaboration only for the sake of psychological and self-actualization needs.
Join the author in this alternative reality (or the future) where survival and earning money is not the most important part of your life.