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RobinHanson comments on Malthusian copying: mass death of unhappy life-loving uploads - Less Wrong Discussion

12 Post author: Stuart_Armstrong 02 July 2012 04:37PM

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Comment author: Vladimir_M 03 July 2012 02:04:04AM 11 points [-]

What are humans doing now that we need only ~2% of the workforce to grow food and ~15% to design and make stuff?

Comment author: RobinHanson 03 July 2012 11:56:04AM 3 points [-]

Most of those other people are doing useful tasks, without which people wouldn't get nearly as much of what they want. If you don't understand our current economy, you don't have much of a prayer of understanding future ones.

Comment author: Vladimir_M 03 July 2012 04:03:07PM *  12 points [-]

I didn't say the rest weren't doing useful tasks. On the contrary, I meant to imply that if only a fraction of the workforce works on providing subsistence directly and obviously, it doesn't mean that the rest are useless rent-seekers.

(That said, I probably do have a more pessimistic view than you about the amount of rent-seeking and makework that takes place presently.)