Very well said. I would definitely be in favour of this. I would also include nurses as part of this "caring economy". They are so often overlooked and under appreciated.
I think about this a bunch. We're currently stuck in a broken way of seeing the world, where MORE is always better and all of us working at the old grindstone is necessary for the survival of the species.
We could use our material abundance and ever-expanding technological knowhow to make sure everyone has their needs met, everyone has opportunities for actual fulfillment (not just work for work's sake), what you're calling the caring economy. It's scary to see how the powerful are using this technology to reinforce their power at our expense, but we shouldn't let that develop into a reflexive fear of the underlying technology, which could bring real progress & improvement.
Corey Doctorow wrote about this idea in the context of science fiction and the actual history of the Luddites. I recommend this all the time (so forgive me if I already recommended it to you), but this is one of my favorite pieces of writing on the internet: https://onezero.medium.com/science-fiction-is-a-luddite-literature-56ed9cfc5470
Thanks, Zachary! I don't believe you have recommended that piece to me before, and I'm glad that you have now.
Some of the ideas you're outlining here are also reflected in a book I'm currently reading, which is Tomorrowmind, by Gabriella Rosen Kellerman and Martin Seligman. It suggests that technology and unpredictable work trends could actually help return humans to a condition that's closer to what we're biologically wired for. A kind of correction (which includes more equal distribution of wealth) after the distortions that came along with the Industrial Revolution. Haven't finished yet, but so far, it's proving quite interesting!
Very well said. I would definitely be in favour of this. I would also include nurses as part of this "caring economy". They are so often overlooked and under appreciated.
"Economic incentives for just being decent to one another" This sounds fantastic.
I think about this a bunch. We're currently stuck in a broken way of seeing the world, where MORE is always better and all of us working at the old grindstone is necessary for the survival of the species.
We could use our material abundance and ever-expanding technological knowhow to make sure everyone has their needs met, everyone has opportunities for actual fulfillment (not just work for work's sake), what you're calling the caring economy. It's scary to see how the powerful are using this technology to reinforce their power at our expense, but we shouldn't let that develop into a reflexive fear of the underlying technology, which could bring real progress & improvement.
Corey Doctorow wrote about this idea in the context of science fiction and the actual history of the Luddites. I recommend this all the time (so forgive me if I already recommended it to you), but this is one of my favorite pieces of writing on the internet: https://onezero.medium.com/science-fiction-is-a-luddite-literature-56ed9cfc5470
Thanks, Zachary! I don't believe you have recommended that piece to me before, and I'm glad that you have now.
Some of the ideas you're outlining here are also reflected in a book I'm currently reading, which is Tomorrowmind, by Gabriella Rosen Kellerman and Martin Seligman. It suggests that technology and unpredictable work trends could actually help return humans to a condition that's closer to what we're biologically wired for. A kind of correction (which includes more equal distribution of wealth) after the distortions that came along with the Industrial Revolution. Haven't finished yet, but so far, it's proving quite interesting!