Robots are good, science fiction would have us believe, given a directive no to harm humans. The "no harm' stricture doesn't apply to humans of course. Robots can be very useful, precise in their actions to a degree that mere humans cannot attain.But if they dive, and look increasingly to drive, the manufacturing and mechanical world, do we want them to drive the rest of our world too?
Work is now in my past. In that past I sometimes worked very hard at times, sometimes less hard but generally enjoyed it and had some fun along the way; but I never realised how lucky I was. Recent acquaintance with people doing mundane jobs has made me realise that. In (too) many cases these jobs are simply using people as robots that haven't yet been designed. The thought shocked me.
Ive done quite a few mundane jobs in holidays to earn money when I was a student. There was never any interest in the job itself but I reckoned that I gave value for money in the effort I put in. And there was the bonus of social interactions with colleagues and the knowledge that I was doing this so that I would never have to do the same for the rest of my life. Others, I also realised, would not be so fortunate but would at least have the social interaction and enough money at the end of the week for a Saturday night out. Not any more it seems.
Around 40% of benefit claimants in the UK are in work, so bang goes that Saturday night out. The effort I put in to woek ws never measured but now it is. Every moment of someone doing a mundane job is now scrutinised to ensure that they are doing the job at the desired (maximum?) pace, through headsets or the clock. So bang goes social interaction. Workers of mundane jobs have simply become robot substitutes. The goal, of course, is profit, ever more profit.
My knowledge of all this is just from the UK and I have no idea how widespread it is in other developed countries. But if people are dehumanised to this extent no one need worry about climate chanage; the human race will destroy itself in the pursuit of profit. If there is such a thing as absolute evil it consists in treating another human being as a thing (John Brunner).
