Most of humanity has always known they couldn’t do anything useful—except provide a better life for their children than they had.
Only a few elites have ever felt that what they do mattered, and looked forward to doing it as a challenge. Most of humanity has done what they must to ensure their children won’t suffer.
Your first answer to your daughter would make most parents weep with joy: whatever you want is what you’ll do.
Don’t worry that she won’t find something she likes to to do unless she’s forced to. People care about people, and there will be plenty to do with and for other people.
If you want concrete ideas of what people do when they’re allowed to, see art and other collaborative projects that aren’t just for money.
Thanks Seth, I really appreciate what you’ve said here—it’s good to be reminded that it’s not necessary to have your kids change the world, and that caring for each other and expressing themselves contributes positively to the whole.
I’m less worried actually about paths my daughter might take, she’s very bright and creative and I’m sure she’ll do fine, I guess I don’t want her to shy away from things just because someone or something else can do it better. I was mainly posting because I felt like that feeling of nausea might be affecting others who keep abreast of these things, and that the coincidence of reading the book right now might have helped me name something others might be experiencing.
But, again, I appreciate your thoughtful insights.
Most of us do useful things. Most of us do it because we need to, to earn a living. Other people give us money because they trade with us so we’ll do things that are useful to them (like providing goods or services or helping others to do so).
I think it’s a profound mistake to think that earning money (honestly) doesn’t do anything useful. On the contrary, it’s what makes the world go.
Sure, but I wasn’t saying what we do is pointless—just that there are other routes to meaning that aren’t really more difficult. And that what most of the world does now is back breaking and soul crushing labor, not the fun intellectual labor the LW community often is privileged to do.
Fair point. From the perspective of one who sees significant value in earning a living and providing goods and services, how are you feeling about the prospects of many marketable skills being mastered by AI? Do we need to reevaluate the value of jobs?
By pointing to a situation where people already don’t feel they are contributing much, it seems like Seth is saying that we’re not losing much through this rise of AI. But your objection suggests to me you might think that we are losing something significant?
Most of humanity has always known they couldn’t do anything useful—except provide a better life for their children than they had.
Only a few elites have ever felt that what they do mattered, and looked forward to doing it as a challenge. Most of humanity has done what they must to ensure their children won’t suffer.
Your first answer to your daughter would make most parents weep with joy: whatever you want is what you’ll do.
Don’t worry that she won’t find something she likes to to do unless she’s forced to. People care about people, and there will be plenty to do with and for other people.
If you want concrete ideas of what people do when they’re allowed to, see art and other collaborative projects that aren’t just for money.
Thanks Seth, I really appreciate what you’ve said here—it’s good to be reminded that it’s not necessary to have your kids change the world, and that caring for each other and expressing themselves contributes positively to the whole.
I’m less worried actually about paths my daughter might take, she’s very bright and creative and I’m sure she’ll do fine, I guess I don’t want her to shy away from things just because someone or something else can do it better. I was mainly posting because I felt like that feeling of nausea might be affecting others who keep abreast of these things, and that the coincidence of reading the book right now might have helped me name something others might be experiencing.
But, again, I appreciate your thoughtful insights.
Most of us do useful things. Most of us do it because we need to, to earn a living. Other people give us money because they trade with us so we’ll do things that are useful to them (like providing goods or services or helping others to do so).
I think it’s a profound mistake to think that earning money (honestly) doesn’t do anything useful. On the contrary, it’s what makes the world go.
Sure, but I wasn’t saying what we do is pointless—just that there are other routes to meaning that aren’t really more difficult. And that what most of the world does now is back breaking and soul crushing labor, not the fun intellectual labor the LW community often is privileged to do.
Fair point. From the perspective of one who sees significant value in earning a living and providing goods and services, how are you feeling about the prospects of many marketable skills being mastered by AI? Do we need to reevaluate the value of jobs?
By pointing to a situation where people already don’t feel they are contributing much, it seems like Seth is saying that we’re not losing much through this rise of AI. But your objection suggests to me you might think that we are losing something significant?