Why do we assume everyone should be working?
Modern economies largely assume that every able adult should have a job, but commenters challenge whether full employment is morally necessary or economically optimal—especially for people whose labor may cost more than it contributes. They weigh arguments around welfare, universal basic income, and post-scarcity automation against concerns about fairness, resentment from taxpayers, inflation, and the psychological need for purpose and structure. Historical abuses of labeling people as “useless,” along with current examples of conditional welfare systems, are cited as warnings about who gets to decide whose work is valued and how non-workers should be supported.
Assumptions about Work and “More Stuff”
- Several commenters challenge the implicit link “everyone working ⇒ more stuff ⇒ better lives.”
- Others note basic needs (rent, food, utilities) still dominate why most people work, not luxury consumption.
- Some argue much current production is unnecessary or wasteful; others reply that virtually everything around us comes from someone’s labor.
“Stupid workers” and Exclusion
- Many focus on the article’s framing that some people may cost more to employ than they produce.
- The term “stupid” is widely criticized as distracting, demeaning, and historically reminiscent of “useless eaters” rhetoric tied to atrocities.
- Some agree there is a lower productivity bound; others say there is “endless work” even for very low-skilled people.
Fairness, Dignity, and Resentment
- Strong divide between those who resent “lazy” non-workers living off taxes and those who are fine subsidizing them.
- Some say effort and willingness to contribute matter more than net productivity.
- Others emphasize that work provides meaning, structure, and social integration, not just income.
UBI, Welfare, and Minimum Income
- A faction sees UBI as inevitable and morally necessary in a world of “bullshit jobs.”
- Critics worry UBI is inherently inflationary or politically unworkable.
- European “minimum income” schemes are cited: they ensure survival but come with heavy conditions, monitoring, and stigma, unlike true UBI.
- Disagreement over whether such systems show that large-scale non-work can be stable.
Scarcity, Automation, and Post-Scarcity
- One thread argues economics is built on scarcity; the long-term goal should be post-scarcity via extreme automation, making work optional.
- Others counter that scarcity is ineradicable in a finite world, though it can be greatly reduced.
- Debate over capitalism vs socialism as paths: some want to “collapse capitalism from within” via personal manufacturing; others see socialist state control as a dead end.
Working Hours and Job Structure
- Popular ideal: everyone works fewer hours (20–30 per week) so work is shared.
- Objections: per-worker overhead, coordination costs, and global competition push firms toward 40-hour norms.
- Suggestions include strong overtime rules after 30 hours and parallel action on housing costs.
Broader Ethical and Cultural Questions
- Question whether society can peacefully tolerate a sizable non-working class funded by workers.
- Concerns about who decides who “should” work and parallels to exclusionary politics.
- Some invoke defenses of idleness and the intrinsic value of art, philosophy, and non-market activity.