Basic income for all?

May 27, 2015 9:45 AM

“If you build a robot to fish, do all men starve, or do all men eat?” As automation continues to replace human labor, writer Scott Santens thinks everyone deserves a basic income provided by the government. To help fund his activism, he's launched a crowdfunding campaign to provide himself with $1,000 per month. Although other countries are considering and even implementing the idea, it's no surprise that not everyone agrees.
posted by gottabefunky (8 comments total)

So, he's the first beneficiary of his own activism?

That's the bizarro version of Tony Stark building himself a robot suit to save his own life.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:48 AM on May 27, 2015 [2 favorites]

That not basic income, he thinks he's special, like Mozart or some kept philosopher dude that demonstrates the king is a good king. Maybe he is special; become a Patron, that makes you special.
posted by sammyo at 9:56 AM on May 27, 2015

Basic income is a good idea. This guy's project isn't going to do anything to promote the idea, as the whole thing comes off as "give me money so I don't have to do anything." The optics are terrible.

This would make more sense if the crowdfunding campaign was to fund activism and work promoting the idea among policy makers.
posted by truex at 9:59 AM on May 27, 2015 [3 favorites]

What a load of old cobblers.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 10:00 AM on May 27, 2015

> give me money so I don't have to do anything

A man can dream, can't he....?
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:00 AM on May 27, 2015

This is so fundamentally ignorant of the way that the power differential between workers and management increased post '70s. That's why wages fell. It's not like there isn't work to be done that requires an ACTUAL PERSON TO DO IT. Like the Amtrak train control upgrade -- robots aren't going to install that equipment. Hmm....we need to expand the rail system....yeah robots! That's it! We'll have robots install the track! New subways and rail systems to move us to a post-driving society? ROBOTS WILL DO IT.

For fuck's sake grow up.
posted by wuwei at 10:00 AM on May 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

The "not everyone agrees" link is interesting. I agree the maths involved are tricky, but after starting with that, we head into "no immigration" and then to the "people won't work if they don't have to!!!" nonsense. Hello, people aren't working now, those same people won't be working then. Some more may join too, but if people weren't having to work jobs they hate to survive, they might find more interesting and fulfilling avocations.
posted by Windopaene at 10:01 AM on May 27, 2015

I'm not sending money to a white dude from Reddit with a questionable hat for any reason
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:02 AM on May 27, 2015 [6 favorites]