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xivzgrev 2 days ago

In the real world there's at least three issues

1) workers are paid by the hour. If you only work them 4 hrs they make half as much. Their expenses don't decrease, they're pissed.

You could double their hourly wage so all gains from this efficiency go to labor. Wonderful! But then this leads to issue 2

2) a less altruistic competitor will copy your efficiency gain, and instead of distributing to labor with 2x wages, they'll cut the price since each pin costs less. Now customers will buy their pins, not yours. You go belly up and your leisure workers go from 4 hrs a day to 0.

3) let's say all companies are altruistic. Awesome everyone's making 2x per hour and working half as less. Let's say everyone takes up painting. Utopia! But then some workers decide instead of painting they get a second job. Now they're making more and have edge on critical resourcing like housing. The painting ones notice and say "hey! I can't afford a house anymore" and go take up a second job as well. Then we are back to where we started, working 40 hr weeks, just everything is 2x as expensive.

I don't know the solutions, i just think it's worth thinking thru real world implications of proposals outlined here. Its like a giant prisoner's dilemma - it only really seems to work if everyone cooperates and doesn't defect

ldjfsdk 2 days ago | parent [-]

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