You raise good points. But there is some complexity here that should also be weighed.
In 1700, how many people sat around and did nothing? Only the aristocracy — a very small percentage of the population. Everyone else worked and produced, or else they died. That’s just the way it was, whether anyone liked it or not.
Look at our world now. How many people in America sit around and do nothing? Quite a few — they may want to work, but work can be hard to find. A thread earlier today claimed that the real unemployment rate was close to 30%. That’s a lot of people who are not working — and not dying either.
As there is more automation, there will be greater possibility for people to contribute nothing — and you know we won’t let them starve. What economic system has a foolproof method of providing to everyone what they “need” even if they do not work? Socialism.
As automation increases, as labor is less needed, then the general societal trend toward Bigger Government, more socialism, and less respect for property will grow. I don’t like it. You don’t like it. But we need to see the very real danger in this social trend.
Sure, people can try to “protect themselves”, but the REAL danger is ... they won’t have to. They will expect to be taken care of, and they will be.
There is that possibility. I’ve raised it in discussions on 3D printers and even neardly discussion on their conceptual forebears the replicator. I call it Judge Dredd world, part of the back story of the Judge Dredd comics is that automation has gotten to the point that people are by and large unnecessary, the vast majority of the work in the world is done by machines, unemployment is in the 90% range, school teaches hobbies because they know the kids will never hold jobs.
It is possible. Of course in the end there’s really not much we can do about it. The one proviso is that prior to this all big technological advances have resulted in raising the standard of living. It’s possible the current run in technology is breaking that trend. In the end though either way the survival method is the same, if your job is projected to be done by robots soon, learn another.
“They will expect to be taken care of,and they will be.”
That will only be true as long as elites need their votes.
After the votes aren’t needed,death camps.