philosopher

We humans haven't had so much mechanization and automation as before, yet we still work, just in other occupations.

Why?

Why didn't the workers take control of the means of production, then sit back and relax and let the machinery do the work?

It appears that instead of relaxing, we are constantly finding other ways of work (and force other people to work too!)

I find something wrong about this. Machinery and automation was invented in the first place to REPLACE work with relaxation - not give us more work!

Pacific_Victory

In a completely socialist (or idealistically a communist) state, this might have happened by now... In a capitalist society where everyone is out for their share of the pie it probably never will.

Personally I would love to live in a society where robots provided everything I needed to be comfortable and I could dedicate my time to my own interests.

philosopher

This raises a new question... Why don't the workers (who are making up the vast majority of ANY given society, ANY given country, ANY given region on earth) rebel against the capitalist system worldwide?

I'd go as far as saying that not rebelling or at least yell out against this system, is the same as being a class-traitor!

Instead we see that people like to force even the disabled to work.
This is sickening. Capitalism needs to be replaced by ultra-left socialism where robots are doing the work for us, and those controlling and making the robots gets high wages and various benefits.

Pacific_Victory

Because the workers are not one group. They all happen to share a social class sure, but they are made up of different races, ethnicities, religions, political views and in this day in age genders. Getting "the workers" to agree on one new form of government is impossible. They are not a homogenous group.
Also, "working class" is not synonomous with "socialist." There are many working class people who are ardent capitalists.

philosopher

This makes no sense. Why is race, ethnicity and politics more important than a comfortable life? Why not fight a common fight against capitalism which is exploiting the workers to work more to make more machinery so they can work even harder and longer?

It makes no sense...

Neither does it make sense that workers can be capitalists... why is an iPad more important than laying in your bed 14 hours a day?

We need to abolish consumerism and ignore religion, ethicity and race, and focus only on our economical struggles.

Pacific_Victory

Well good luck with all that

Also, if I did live in a society where robots provided us with all that we needed and nobody had to work, I still wouldn't lay in bed for 14 hours a day.

People are a warlike species. Barfights, gang battles, and full fledged nation vs. nation warfare are all just manifestations of the same instinct within all of us.
Workers don't all get along. They have some friends and they have some enemies and a whole lot of folks in the middle who they just don't care about, all within the working class. Like I said, it's not a homogenous group.
The idea that all of the workers are just going to drop their familial/religious/social/political views and form one big Grand Workers Paradise nation is a little naive.

The Cell

I honestly think this is how humans were meant to live in the first place. After all, the earth provides us with everything we need to survive, FOR FREE. Apples grow on tree, water rains down from the sky everything is there... But somewhere along the line someone figured out that they could get all these people to work for them to pick all the apples from the trees and in return, this person would reward the workers with a small portion of the days pickings while they kept the lions share...

The funny thing is that all these years later, when humans finally get smarter, WE STILL LET THIS SITUATION CONTINUE!!!!

Pacific_Victory

Well does that mean you are willing to go and live out in a mud hut and forage for your own food, find your own clean water, do your own house repairs (which unless you are an electrician or a plumber means living without running water and electricity) etc etc.? The fact that you have internet tells me probably not...

philosopher

That makes no sense to me either...

What is the point of fighting a war that makes no sense? I mean, getting up early in the morning to fight a battle you might get wounded (or even die) in, just for a cause that has NOTHING to do with a comfortable life... it makes no sense...

Neither does gangs or bar fights make any sense to me. Why do something that might put you in a position where you lose your comfortable life?

amazedkat

the chinese are the means of production aren't they? do you mean we should take control of them?