Paradise paradox
The Paradise paradox is the Russian economists of diverse authors Wassily Leontief attributed.
According to these authors, Leontief notes:
“The story of technological progress over the past 200 years is basically the story of the human race slowly but surely trying to find its way back to paradise. But what would happen if you succeeded? All goods and services would be available without the need for work and no one would be gainfully employed. Now being unemployed also means not receiving any wages; so if people did not react to the new technological situation with a new policy of income distribution, they would starve to death in paradise ... "
The basic idea can be simplified as follows: If productivity and automation were perfected to such an extent that people no longer have to work for goods and services, there would theoretically be total unemployment. But since there is no longer any income from gainful employment, nobody could consume these goods .
Reference is made to the paradox especially in the context of criticism of capitalism and in defense of the unconditional basic income .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jarrosson, Bruno; Zarka, Michel: De la défaite du travail à la conquête du choix . Dunod, 1997.
- ^ Bosse, Jörg (2008). The end of the employment society - new tasks and opportunities for social work. Page 132. Munich: Grin Verlag.
- ↑ http://www.jstor.org/stable/24966688