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FridgeParade t1_j5gju9v wrote

Reply to comment by IamDonya in Can humanity find purpose in a world where AI is more capable than humans? by IamDonya

Well, the ultra rich trust fund kids who basically dont have to think about money or achieving anything seem to be doing fine, so Im not worried about a life without work.

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usaaf t1_j5h12tc wrote

This, right here. Work and 'productive' employment are not the natural condition of humans. People who worry about 'purpose' should be super careful that that isn't their Capitalist brainwashing talking, because in this day and age, with the veritable flooding of Capitalist propaganda through every avenue, including the obvious (advertising, cultural productions) to the least suspicious (seemingly simple interactions with family/friends), there's a high chance anyone who thinks they need work has been thoroughly tricked into loving the fact they're a cog for the profit of a few.

People who say "I would feel bored without work" are great for the Capitalist. They have been conditioned by the system to love work, and that's not good. The ethical question about programming a robot to enjoy being a slave has already been answered by the Capitalists and their answer is "We'll do anything for more money." People today have already been 'programmed' to love their work, and it ain't a pretty thing. It's the root cause of 99% of these posts about how AI is going to make us so bored we kill ourselves or whatever. Yeah, if you've been told by your culture/society that you must work to feel good, then the end of that requirement could feel a little frightening and horrible.

Or it could feel like withdrawal from an extremely nasty drug, and once you get over it you might find you like life without Capitalist-purpose looming over you to be pretty damn good.

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iiioiia t1_j5lzw1y wrote

> People who worry about 'purpose' should be super careful that that isn't their Capitalist brainwashing talking, because in this day and age, with the veritable flooding of Capitalist propaganda through every avenue, including the obvious (advertising, cultural productions) to the least suspicious (seemingly simple interactions with family/friends), there's a high chance anyone who thinks they need work has been thoroughly tricked into loving the fact they're a cog for the profit of a few.

What do you consider "Capitalist" propaganda?

As far as I'm concerned, the much more dangerous form of propaganda out there that's flying below most everyone's radar is "democracy" propaganda.

Economic systems are subordinate to the governmental system, provided actors within the economic system haven't taken over the governmental system (a bit too late for that methinks).

Install an actual democracy and these "capitalism" issues will be solved rather quickly, perhaps even voluntarily - "Would you like to share a bit more, or would you like to be nationalized / 'fucked with constantly'?" can be rather persuasive.

Also noteworthy: governmental systems are subordinate to Mother Nature.

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BigZaddyZ3 t1_j5h1n2g wrote

Why do people like Elon Musk still opt to work then?

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FridgeParade t1_j5h27xu wrote

Greed disease / narcissistic tendencies that need constant validation / hunger for power.

Just because some do, doesn’t mean we have to to be happy. A lot of rich people dont work at all and live perfectly happy lives. Besides, some of them “work”, in my opinion it becomes a glorified hobby when you absolutely dont need to do it.

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BigZaddyZ3 t1_j5h2vsh wrote

Aren’t those just assumptions on your part tho? How do you know it isn’t simply because a life of endless hedonism probably becomes a bit boring after a little while?

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FridgeParade t1_j5isoeg wrote

I grew up in a very rich area and was exposed to these families quite a bit.

Besides, people who are retired dont seem to have issues either?

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Miserable_Mine_8601 t1_j5h2zun wrote

Why do people opt to run off to the forest and never come back

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BigZaddyZ3 t1_j5h3pzy wrote

Why do multi-millionaires who could stop working after their first big contract, usually wait until they’re old to retire? They don’t need the money, yet you rarely hear about rich 20 year olds retiring and choosing to live the exact life some here claim they would enjoy. Why?

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Dr__glass t1_j5h61iv wrote

You don't hear about them because they retire to a private life. It's survivorship bias, you don't hear about the millionaires that don't keep working in the public eye so it seems like it doesn't happen

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BigZaddyZ3 t1_j5hpo68 wrote

Why don’t we see the ones who are rich and famous right now doing it? How often do you really see a person get rich in their youth and then immediately retire? Be realistic.

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94746382926 t1_j5u4a6u wrote

There's entire communities of people who strive for super early retirement. Check out /r/leanfire or /r/fire for countless examples of people retiring in their 30's and 40's.

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Spire_Citron t1_j5hhjeb wrote

Why would you hear about the people who retire young with just a few million?

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BigZaddyZ3 t1_j5hpc8c wrote

I meant like athletes for example. How come Steph Curry doesn’t retire after his first 200 million dollar deal is completed for instance?

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randomwordglorious t1_j5hx3gr wrote

He loves to play basketball. If the NBA went out of business tomorrow and the most competitive basketball league in the world was only paying $50 per game, he'd play for $50 per game.

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BigZaddyZ3 t1_j5hxgwa wrote

Then why not just retire and play basketball all day at one of his luxurious houses? It’d be even better for him it it was really just about loving the game right?

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Spire_Citron t1_j5i01ql wrote

I mean, nobody's saying that people who are motivated by competition or making a name for themselves don't exist. They certainly do. Becoming a pro athlete is something that takes a lot of work and dedication and which very few people get famous from doing, so it makes sense that the people who find success in it actually love doing it and don't want to drop it the second they have enough money to live comfortably. They're not a good representation of an average person.

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randomwordglorious t1_j5j6iad wrote

If he could get the best players in the world to play against him at his house, he would. But the highest level of competition is in the NBA, so that's where he plays.

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not_into_that t1_j5jwa5h wrote

Because there is something fundamentally broken in him.

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BigZaddyZ3 t1_j5jxfar wrote

Ehh… that’s a little ableist don’t you think 😂

But on a serious note, I disagree. There’s a reason many people like playing games on the harder difficulties. (And sometimes they want even harder difficulties than those). It’s because when things are too easy, they become boring. They’re nothing fulfilling or gratifying about a life of total hedonism. And while certainly nobody wants a life that’s too difficult. It remains to be seen whether or not humans will truly enjoy a life with absolutely no responsibility or stakes like many here assume we will. I think that’s what OP and I were really getting at. Just my two cents

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naxospade t1_j5r62wl wrote

Maybe this life is just a big multi-user simulated experience to stave off the boredom of eons.

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ahundredplus t1_j5ip3n6 wrote

Are they? The ones I know seem to be blanketed in insecurity, depression, and drug addiction. Propping up pet projects with trust money but not much else.

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FridgeParade t1_j5isj66 wrote

Haha yeah thats a common trope, but there are millions of these people and not all are drug addicts.

But we will definitely need to make sure we have proper systems in place to prevent such issues.

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ahundredplus t1_j5l5g5r wrote

I'd say insecurity by doing nothing worthwhile is a far more common occurrence than "drug addiction". It's just one of the many characteristics.

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