How we cling to the fantasy that growth can go on forever, despite loud and clear warnings from Mother Earth that it cannot.  Not only must populations drop in order to reach a sustainable level, but their lifestyles must change to consume less and conserve more, which is a one-two punch to the capitalist way of life.  Fortunately, because capitalism produces so much excess (called "profits"), we know what can be cut without sacrificing quality of life.  Time to face that yes, growth will slow and then stop, and we will need to adapt to a zero-growth economy, in which redistribution becomes the only way to maintain, much less improve, living standards.  There will be no excess for the gilded few to vacuum up.The good news is that in that scenario, full employment could mean working much less than 40 hours a week and having more time to spend on hobbies, exercise, and relationships. As AI development progresses, more essential tasks will be able to be done by machines, so a shrinking workforce will be less of an issue.  We will be forced to have the nasty conversations we've been dreading about end-of-life care, how long and what services can be provided, and when nature should be allowed to take its course.  And with fewer children being born, we will need to invest more in the ones that are, even if they are a different color or creed than our own.  All we have to do is give up the magical thinking of endless growth.

How we cling to the fantasy that growth can go on forever, despite loud and clear warnings from Mother Earth that it cannot.  Not only must populations drop in order to reach a sustainable level, but their lifestyles must change to consume less and conserve more, which is a one-two punch to the capitalist way of life.  Fortunately, because capitalism produces so much excess (called "profits"), we know what can be cut without sacrificing quality of life.  Time to face that yes, growth will slow and then stop, and we will need to adapt to a zero-growth economy, in which redistribution becomes the only way to maintain, much less improve, living standards.  There will be no excess for the gilded few to vacuum up.The good news is that in that scenario, full employment could mean working much less than 40 hours a week and having more time to spend on hobbies, exercise, and relationships. As AI development progresses, more essential tasks will be able to be done by machines, so a shrinking workforce will be less of an issue.  We will be forced to have the nasty conversations we've been dreading about end-of-life care, how long and what services can be provided, and when nature should be allowed to take its course.  And with fewer children being born, we will need to invest more in the ones that are, even if they are a different color or creed than our own.  All we have to do is give up the magical thinking of endless growth.

user
no
assistant