Automation

[Ricardo]

Alright I was thinking, a lot of people on this site say communism will work because everything, or most things will have been automated by the time revolution occurs. But if mostly all production jobs are taken by machines, what would happen to the workers, what jobs would they take. Is it possible for a capitalist society as large as this one to exist with such advances in automation, or would a revolution be imminent due to all the angry, out of work, laborers.

[RebelDog]

Alright I was thinking, a lot of people on this site say communism will work because everything, or most things will have been automated by the time revolution occurs.

No one can really say that most things will be automated by the revolution but day by day more and more things do get automated although we should remember this is a slow process as the machines that do the work, themselves require to be built. I think a good sign of automation is the increased need for skills and less dependancy on manual labour which is a clear trend in the western capitalist countries.


But if mostly all production jobs are taken by machines, what would happen to the workers, what jobs would they take.

Workers work to survive not because they physically or mentally need to. We would enjoy ourselves more, have better health, live longer happier lives. The work that needs to be done will be shared out. I would do my share of shitty jobs, I do a shitty job all week right now for a prick of a boss, why wouldn't I do it for a communist society.


Is it possible for a capitalist society as large as this one to exist with such advances in automation, or would a revolution be imminent due to all the angry, out of work, laborers.

I don't think capitalism can survive automation as its consumers need the money they get from selling their labour to buy the products. Remember the competition of the market drives all capitalists to reduce costs by all means possible and that will always include labour costs. They can never change in this respect. They will all cut their own throats. One could argue that the means of production could be destroyed in wars, as in history it has been, but I think things are different with the corporations having production sites all over the world now and less and less in their country of origin. I think automation will have a great effect on the possibility of and timing of the revolution.