Re: Science and Unemployment...
Ken Smith (kgs@maths.uq.oz.au)
28 Jun 1995 04:56:23 GMT
Another posting where the original seems to have disappeared in
transit, so I am using one of the follow-ups to respond to it.
This is a response to shelter@peg.apc.org (Madhudvisah dasa Swami) whose
writing is embedded in:
brome@axnd14.cern.ch (Clint Brome) writes:
>shelter@peg.apc.org (Madhudvisah dasa Swami) writes:
>>sterner@sel.hep.upenn.edu (Kevin Sterner) wrote:
>>>No, as a matter of fact I do not. The main problem with welfare statism
>>>is not the expense, or the burden it places on the resources of the
>>>productive members of society, or the fact that it returns nothing to
>>>the economy. It is that it destroys the fabric of society by creating
>>>a permanent underclass that is for the most part incapable of breaking
>>>the cycle of poverty.
>>And why is that? Because science has produced so much wonderful advanced
>>technology and abolished the jobs they used to do... If the society
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>provided jobs they could do these people [who are now unemployed] would
>>work and be fine upstanding citizens... They would be paying tax, they
>>would be consuming... they wouldn't be a burden at all. But how can they
>>be productive? Your machines are doing all the work! It is a great
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>paradox... you are making "advancements" but your "advancements" are
>>putting people out of work. You then have to pay them social security
>>[which comes out of your own pockets] As you "advance" more and more so
>>many more become unemployed as a result... Thus science destroys the
>>society...
>>Thank you. Hare Krishna!
>>Madhudvisah dasa Swami
>>(shelter@peg.apc.org) http://www.peg.apc.org/~shelter/ctfote
>>
>>Quotes from His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
>>(c)Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Ah, yes.
The computer network has abolished the jobs which used to be done by
carrier pigeon.
Madhudvisah dasa Swami seems to be much like the creationists in one
respect.
They write tirades against quantum mechanics, and use computers with
their memory chips designed using quantum mechanics to do so.
Here we have someone complaining about modern technology, and using
that technology to complain about the technology which he is using to
complain ....
[rest of post deleted]
>Clint Brome
Ken Smith
--
Dr Ken Smith <kgs@maths.uq.oz.au> | "God, we know you are in charge, but why
Department of Mathematics, | don't you make it slightly more obvious?"
The University of Queensland, | Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 1990
St Lucia, Qld. 4072. Australia. | (address to students at at West Point)
|