How much do you know about medieval guilds? They are totally 13th century safety nets and trade unions.
You died leaving your widow and kids alone? Don’t worry others in your guild will chip in.
Your kids die, who takes care of you in your old age? Your apprentice.
Some outsider newb wants to economize your profession reducing the living standard and status of the workers in it compared to other professions? Fuck him he can’t do this profession in our town unless he signs up with us and does things our way.
Also your guild’s rules are controlled by a council of people who have spent the largest fraction of their life mastering your trade.
You’re an apprentice, but dad sold (contracted) you to a guy who doesn’t like you for some reason? Good luck ever getting his daughter’s hand to inherit his shit—hell, after you learn the trade, he might even fail you all the time at the (expensive and demanding) test of craftsmanship, and you’ll either be his bitch for life, or run away and live in poverty because of your debt and lack of recognition. Hell, God help you if you run away at all! (And, while you’re still a teenager, hope you enjoy how fists/kicks/belts feel, because you might be getting plenty of those.)
Can hardly talk about industry-related innovations. Good at rationality and optimizing production? Either make it all your trade secret as a master, in the privacy of your own workshop, or kiss your ass goodbye.
Do I even need to bring up comparably bad situations created by modern institutions? I mean we even have ones that are perfectly analogous. coughcrushingstudentdebtcough
The question is what results a institution typically produces and what would exist in their stead. Take a pro and con view of the guild and its various replacements today, subtract better technology increasing living standards, you may be surprised by the results.
Can the end of the guild system and technological progress be untangled like that? My limited understanding was that the guilds were major opponents of certain kinds of technological progress.
Yep, I would’ve mentioned it, but here, in our rather scholastic debate, I’m assuming the least convenient possible world for my values—one where technical progress either naturally forms a positive feedback loop with right-wing tyranny/oppression/whatever, or simply moves at a pre-industrial speed. Otherwise I’d just skip ahead & invoke the perspectives of transhumanity, the event horizon, etc.
Do I even need to bring up comparably bad situations created by modern institutions? I mean we even have ones that are perfectly analogous. coughcrushingstudentdebtcough
Quite so. I am fond of pointing out that an eighteen year old girl cannot commit herself to always be sexually available to one man and never to any other, in return for a promise of undying love and guaranteed life long support for her and her children, but can commit herself a gigantic debt that can never be expunged by bankruptcy in return for a credential of uncertain, and frequently negative, value.
Why not go one step further with the debt system, and allow people to pledge themselves into debt slavery? That would remove the feckless from circulation, and ensure that they had responsible supervision.
The supposition is that if someone goes into debt for a post graduate degree in English literature or a master of fine arts in advanced basket weaving, they are making a responsible decision, so should be allowed freedom of contract, but if someone goes into debt for food and stuff, they are making an irresponsible decision, so should not be allowed freedom of contract.
Seems to me the reverse supposition is wiser—that it is more desirable to allow the stupid to voluntarily choose to restrict their future freedom of action than it is to allow the smart. And I am also inclined to doubt that those who go into debt for a postgraduate degree in English literature are the cognitive elite.
Quite so. I am fond of pointing out that an eighteen year old girl cannot commit herself to always be sexually available to one man and never to any other, in return for a promise of undying love and guaranteed life long support for her and her children, but can commit herself a gigantic debt that can never be expunged by bankruptcy in return for a credential of uncertain, and frequently negative, value.
How much do you know about medieval guilds? They are totally 13th century safety nets and trade unions.
You died leaving your widow and kids alone? Don’t worry others in your guild will chip in.
Your kids die, who takes care of you in your old age? Your apprentice.
Some outsider newb wants to economize your profession reducing the living standard and status of the workers in it compared to other professions? Fuck him he can’t do this profession in our town unless he signs up with us and does things our way.
Also your guild’s rules are controlled by a council of people who have spent the largest fraction of their life mastering your trade.
You’re an apprentice, but dad sold (contracted) you to a guy who doesn’t like you for some reason? Good luck ever getting his daughter’s hand to inherit his shit—hell, after you learn the trade, he might even fail you all the time at the (expensive and demanding) test of craftsmanship, and you’ll either be his bitch for life, or run away and live in poverty because of your debt and lack of recognition. Hell, God help you if you run away at all! (And, while you’re still a teenager, hope you enjoy how fists/kicks/belts feel, because you might be getting plenty of those.)
Can hardly talk about industry-related innovations. Good at rationality and optimizing production? Either make it all your trade secret as a master, in the privacy of your own workshop, or kiss your ass goodbye.
Do I even need to bring up comparably bad situations created by modern institutions? I mean we even have ones that are perfectly analogous. coughcrushingstudentdebtcough
The question is what results a institution typically produces and what would exist in their stead. Take a pro and con view of the guild and its various replacements today, subtract better technology increasing living standards, you may be surprised by the results.
Can the end of the guild system and technological progress be untangled like that? My limited understanding was that the guilds were major opponents of certain kinds of technological progress.
Yep, I would’ve mentioned it, but here, in our rather scholastic debate, I’m assuming the least convenient possible world for my values—one where technical progress either naturally forms a positive feedback loop with right-wing tyranny/oppression/whatever, or simply moves at a pre-industrial speed. Otherwise I’d just skip ahead & invoke the perspectives of transhumanity, the event horizon, etc.
Soo… the US healthcare industry on steroids?
Quite so. I am fond of pointing out that an eighteen year old girl cannot commit herself to always be sexually available to one man and never to any other, in return for a promise of undying love and guaranteed life long support for her and her children, but can commit herself a gigantic debt that can never be expunged by bankruptcy in return for a credential of uncertain, and frequently negative, value.
Why not go one step further with the debt system, and allow people to pledge themselves into debt slavery? That would remove the feckless from circulation, and ensure that they had responsible supervision.
The supposition is that if someone goes into debt for a post graduate degree in English literature or a master of fine arts in advanced basket weaving, they are making a responsible decision, so should be allowed freedom of contract, but if someone goes into debt for food and stuff, they are making an irresponsible decision, so should not be allowed freedom of contract.
Seems to me the reverse supposition is wiser—that it is more desirable to allow the stupid to voluntarily choose to restrict their future freedom of action than it is to allow the smart. And I am also inclined to doubt that those who go into debt for a postgraduate degree in English literature are the cognitive elite.
I agree. We have lost the right to marry as Sister Y says.