the problem with automation

 

the real problem with automation is that fewer and fewer people are supplying the basic needs for almost everyone. in other words 8 billion people are becoming incredibly dependent on a few million people. let's say 7.8 billion people are dependent on the remaining few. the 7.8 billion people are providing goods and services that are not necessary for survival but are fun to use. but what that means at a lower level is that if there are too few people providing critical resources to the entire planet. it would take a very small disruption to put the planet in a critical situation where billions and billions of people's lives could be in jeopardy. let's think this through.

the most important thing people need is heat. if you take away all heat people would die almost instantly. currently we have the sun so I think we're okay.

the next most critical thing we need is air and specifically oxygen. currently the atmosphere provides this and so I think we're okay there also.

but now things get more difficult.

the next most critical thing we need is water. 75% of the planet is under water. unfortunately as the poem reads water water everywhere and not a drop to drink. the vast majority of the water is so salty we can't drink it. if you drink it within a short amount of time it will kill you. it isn't poison it just has too much salt. there is fresh water on the land and underground but it requires staying close to that water to use it. and if humans go without water for 3 days they will die. and in extreme situations without water in just a few hours you will die. so some super fancy advanced way to desalinate water would be nice. but still the human race largely puts a few people in charge of making sure that the rest of us all have water. if those people all suddenly vanish it wouldn't be a threat to the entire planet but it would certainly cause some panic in the short run. if I turned on my sink and no water came out I would have no idea what to do about it, how about you?

the next most critical thing we need is food. a healthy person can survive several weeks on water, but will starve to death pretty soon. also if you become too weak you may not be able to recover even with more food. just a short time ago more than half the people worked to provide food. now a few million people provide food for 8 billion people. of course people are smart and growing basic food isn't terribly difficult, but it takes time and land. it generally takes a stable environment where people aren't trying to kill each other. Starving people get testy. people in the cities are incredibly vulnerable, people elsewhere are less vulnerable. let's see, where are most people?

in an ideal world each person would be able to seamlessly produce all their own water and food if necessary. since water is already abundant and food largely grows by itself we would still have plenty of time to do other things, like build electric cars and smart phones. it seems like we have plenty of brain cells to carry on in a way that ensures the survival of our species, the question is why don't we? 

...