How Lazy Are We Going to Get?
August 22 2008 / by John Heylin
Category: Social Issues Year: General Rating: 4
We’ve all enjoyed the level of comfort certain gadgets have brought us. From the incredibly useful back-scratcher to the universal remote, technology and design has made our lives easier. But the real question is this: How lazy are we going to let technology get us?
In the extreme scenario, even our jobs are taken over by machines. Instead of working eight hours a day, we’d get a weekly allowance from the government for purchases such as hotel stays at exotic resorts or a faster electric car. House repairs, food issues, and even the lawn is taken care of by nanobots (it’d only be a one-time purchase since they can repair each other in case of breakage). You find yourself waking when you want, going wherever you want, and eating whatever you want. But you feel your life has no purpose.
Would our life have a purpose? In having everything taken care of, wouldn’t it feel like we were living in a hamster cage? Having our every need taken care of, we’d mill about looking at random things, bathing every so often, while some other entity takes care of everything. We’d be pets. And like most pets, we’d get fat and unhealthy (unless the nanobots also take care of that or course).
Even if we had a job, knowing that the only reason you have it is because you asked for it would seem demoralizing. “Yes sir, please turn off the computer so I can answer the phones myself. Yes, I know it’s silly, but I just have to do work you see.” It’d be like spending days putting together a model ship when a robot could build an exact working replica in less than an hour. What’s the point?
Coupled with your own personal work station that takes care of your every need (food, bathroom, washing) while keeping you connected to the global web like a prison you never want to leave. A perfect example would be the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury where the main characters wife lives only to watch television, yet still keeps trying to kill herself. She’s been dumbed down to the point where she has no reason to live, no purpose, no feeling or history. Many think the book is about censorship, but he’s stated himself that the book is about how television destroys interest in actual information, the dumbing of society.
Cognitive historian Dr. James Flynn has also mentioned that “The next century could see a period of decadence in advanced societies so that people are less willing to do cognitive exercise.” A valid concern expressed throughout the centuries, ever since the Romans warned each other how luxury might be the downfall of their civilization.
Don’t worry, I’m not one of those people who clamors for the days of washing laundry by hand or cooking on a wood-fire stove. Useful gadgets give us the freedom to pursue alternate activities like reading, sports or hobbies which give us peace of mind. But you have to wonder how much time is enough. If every need was taken care of, be it laundry, dishes, lawn-mowing or house-painting, it’s a wonder to think of what we’d do with our time.
Image: Aaron Escobar (Flickr,CC-Attribution)
Comment Thread (4 Responses)
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Wow, I couldn’t disagree more with this vision. The notion that we somehow need “work” and inconvenience to have meaningful lives is just plain silly. Even in the post-scarcity utopia you describe where there is no work and all basic needs are met, there would still be sports, games, entertainment, and every possible variety of hobby to enrich our lives and give us challenges. Not to mention all the creative activities like arts, writing, and the like that would still be a vibrant area of activity.
I just don’t understand the idea people have that we need work, pain, misery, inconvenience, and death to “make us feel human”. Indeed, this notion strikes me as sadistic in nature.
Posted by: CypherLH August 22, 2008
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I don’t think the writer of the post meant to demean the importance of hobbies, but the difference would be that your entire life would consist of hobbies, versus hobbies to take your mind off of your work. Hobbies entertain you but usually, at least from my point of view, are not something that you would say makes up your life.
Posted by: jvarden August 22, 2008
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I’m in general agreement with CypherLH. Also easy to forget from our perspective is that not only will technology enhance the outside world, but it promises to give total control of what goes on within. If for any reason we didn’t feel our lives were satisfying in some way without work and inconvenience, we could tweak our brains to correct for it.
Posted by: gremlinn August 23, 2008
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Studies show if people have a purpose in life, they live longer. Check out Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl if you need proof of that.
How would hobbies be our purpose in life? Not everyone likes to paint, write, dunk or weld. And with the market flooded with art and athletes, how will anyone get noticed? It all ends up with us plugged into machines for no other reason than to stare at flickering images. And as for altering your brain to adhere to this world, how many people would go under voluntary brain-washing?
Posted by: John Heylin August 23, 2008
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