A coincidental convergence of recent tweets: we are wasting the surplus from technical and economic innovation on mandatory, soul-killing busywork. 1/
2/ It’s tax season in the US, so everyone in the country is forced to spend a couple days doing administrative work we hate and consider idiotic.
IRS official estimate is that for individuals this takes 13 hours on average. Including biz, ~$500 bn/year.
IRS official estimate is that for individuals this takes 13 hours on average. Including biz, ~$500 bn/year.
3/ What makes dealing with health insurance, credit card company errors, retirement plan allocation, and taxes so awful?
4/ Mandatory unpaid administrative busywork is mostly new, enabled by innovations in IT.
We could use IT to free ourselves from nonsense; instead, collectively, we’ve used it to enslave ourselves.
We could use IT to free ourselves from nonsense; instead, collectively, we’ve used it to enslave ourselves.
5/ We’ve replaced the drudgery of actual work with the drudgery of talking about work (mostly done by machines).
Actual work may be rougher on the body, but at least you feel like you’ve done something.
Actual work may be rougher on the body, but at least you feel like you’ve done something.
6/ “Talking about work” is now most of the economy.
7/ Quantifying our waste of human lives on pointless administration (♻️@slatestarcodex)
weforum.org/agenda/2017/04…
weforum.org/agenda/2017/04…
8/ Collectively we have frittered away the vast surplus generated by systematization. And, we’ve allowed those systems to rust.
Basic institutions of modernity are increasingly dysfunctional—and we’re so rich we can get away with neglecting maintenance.
Basic institutions of modernity are increasingly dysfunctional—and we’re so rich we can get away with neglecting maintenance.
9/ @vgr made a similar point in a long tweet thread a couple days ago:
10/ @vgr’s thread is both terrifying—because he points to evidence that systematicity is collapsing overall—and hopeful, because he thinks alternatives are possible.
11/ I agree with @vgr’s objection here: systematicity should be optional for most people.
It’s unnatural and most people are bad at it and don’t like it. We haven’t yet got a good alternative…
It’s unnatural and most people are bad at it and don’t like it. We haven’t yet got a good alternative…
12/ Can a future society provide the emotional rightness of pre-modern community, smoothly-functioning systematic institutions, space for diverse subcultures, and creativity for all?
I believe so: meaningness.com/fluidity-desid…
I believe so: meaningness.com/fluidity-desid…
