Bernard Murphy
Moderator
We've had various debates back and forth in this forum about how automation is going to create mass unemployment. Perhaps the perspective of age helps me smile at such apocalyptic concerns. Perhaps the history of technology evolution (not just what we think of technology, but all the way back to the foundation of civilization) should be a mandatory subject in schools. Either way, we should remember that despite our belief that our age is truly unique, in fact we are just another point on the path of a history which has seen all these concerns before, albeit in different forms.
Here's an example of how laborers in a fast-declining industry (coal mining) are adapting - to website development. Of course this is a drop in the ocean, but it points to what is possible. We can moan about how the world won't stand still and how we must fight to make it stand still - or we can evolve with it. I expect many, probably most laborers in fields of declining employment, smart people who need to feed and clothe their families, will do exactly that - recognize trends and new needs and move with the times.
Coal miners become computer coders - Apr. 22, 216
Here's an example of how laborers in a fast-declining industry (coal mining) are adapting - to website development. Of course this is a drop in the ocean, but it points to what is possible. We can moan about how the world won't stand still and how we must fight to make it stand still - or we can evolve with it. I expect many, probably most laborers in fields of declining employment, smart people who need to feed and clothe their families, will do exactly that - recognize trends and new needs and move with the times.
Coal miners become computer coders - Apr. 22, 216
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