I heard this before when I was young. In the 1960s there was talk of a three-day workweek for similar reasons. Obviously, it didn’t work out.
My purpose here is not to provide a detailed critique of such prognostications. Rather, I ask the same question I ask when I see a science-fiction film depicting widespread space travel and planetary colonization. Where are they getting all the energy to do these things?
In the Atlantic piece–a clever and rather more subtle discussion of the post-work world than I’ve seen elsewhere–the word “energy” appears exactly zero times. It is assumed that humans will somehow extract enough energy to run all the new machines that will serve (or run?) us. It is assumed that climate change will not be so disruptive as to make our current technical civilization crumble or at least falter significantly. It is assumed that the modeled effects of climate change on the world’s major grain growing areas–lots of drought–won’t change our priorities drastically toward growing more food in more places. In short, the future is just the past with a lot more energy-guzzling gadgets and apparently a lot more playtime.
Victorian culture repressed sex, not the act itself–population rose briskly in 19th century Britain–but discussion of sex, examination of it. Today, one can walk into any decent-sized bookstore and get an illustrated manual on sexual positions. Today, people get therapy to improve their sex lives, brag openly about their sexual conquests, and have frank discussions with one another about each other’s sexual preferences. That repression is over–to the dismay of some and to the delight of others.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
