Technology and the Future of Work :: Robotics Technology Electronics Essays

Technology and the Future of WorkEvery society creates an idealised image of the future - a great deal that serves asa beacon to direct the imagination and energy of its people. The Ancient Jewishnation prayed for deliverance to a promised land of milk and honey. Later,Christian clerics held proscribed the promise of eternal salvation in the heavenlykingdom. In the modern age, the idea of a future technological utopia has servedas the guiding light of industrial society. For more than a century utopiandreamers and men and women of science and letters have looked for a future worldwhere machines would replace human labour, creating a go on workerless society ofabundance and leisure. (J Rifkin 1995 p.42)This paper impart consider developments in technology, robotics, electronicminiaturisation, digitisation and learning technology with its socialimplications for human values and the future of work. It will argue that we haveentered post modernity or post Fordism, a new age technol ogical change,which profoundly effects social social organization and values. any(prenominal) issues that will beaddressed are elimination of work in the traditional sense, longevity, earlyretirement, the elimination of cash, the restructuring of education, industryand a movement to global politics, economic science and world government.In particular this paper will suggest that the Christian Judao work ethic withsocietys goals of full employment in the traditional sense is no longerappropriate, necessary or even possible in the near future, and that thedefinition of work needs to be far more liberal. It argues that as a post marketera approaches, that both government and society will need to recognise theeffects of new technology on social structure and re-distribute resources, therewill need to be rapid development of policies to assist appropriate socialadjustments if extreme social unrest, inequity, trauma and possible civil flutter is to be avoided.Yonedji Masuda (1983) sug gests we are moving from an industrial society to aninformation society and maintains that a social revolution is taking place. Hesuggests that we have two choices Computopia or an Automated State, acontrolled society. He believes that if we choose the former, the door to asociety filled with boundless possibilities will open but if the latter, ourfuture society will become a forbidding and a horrible age. He optimisticallypredicts our new future society will be computopia which he describes asexhibiting information values where individuals will develop their cognitivecreative abilities and citizens and communities will participate voluntarily inshared goals and ideas.Barry Jones (1990) says we are passing through a post-service revolution into apost- service society - which could be a golden age of leisure and personal