CreatingLivableAlternativestoWageSlavery FeaturedBookExcerpt "Peoplecanspendonlysomuchtimefucking,smokingdope,andwatchingTV;aftera whiletheygetbored..." TheRICHEconomy byRobertAntonWilson fromTheIlluminatiPapers

Ifthereisonepropositionwhichcurrentlywinstheassentofnearlyeverybody,itisthat weneedmorejobs."Acureforunemployment"ispromised,orearnestlysought,by everyHeavyThinkerfromJimmyCartertotheCommunistPartyUSA,fromRonald Reagantotheheadoftheeconomicsdepartmentatthelocaluniversity,fromthe BircherstotheNewLeft. Iwouldliketochallengethatidea.Idon'tthinkthereis,oreveragaincanbe,acurefor unemployment.Iproposethatunemploymentisnotadisease,butthenatural,healthy functioningofanadvancedtechnologicalsociety. Theinevitabledirectionofanytechnology,andofanyrationalspeciessuchasHomo sap.,istowardwhatBuckminsterFullercallsephemeralization,ordoingmorewithless. Forinstance,amoderncomputerdoesmore(handlesmorebitsofinformation)withless hardwarethantheprotocomputersofthelate'40'sand'50's.Oneworkerwithamodern teletypemachinedoesmoreinanhourthanathousandmedievalmonkspainstakingly copyingscrollsforacentury.Atomicfissiondoesmorewithacubiccentimeterofmatter thanalltheengineersofthe19thCenturycoulddowithamilliontons,andfusiondoes evenmore. Unemploymentisnotadisease;soithasno"cure." Thistendencytowardephemeralizationordoingmorewithlessisbasedontwo principalfactors,viz: 1.Theincrementofassociation,atermcoinedbyengineerC.H.Douglas,ameaning simplythatwhenwecombineoureffortswecandomorethanthesumofwhateachof

uscoulddoseperately.Fivepeopleactingsynergeticallytogethercanliftasmall moderncar,butifeachofthefivetriesseparately,thecarwillnotbudge.Associety evolvedfromtinybands,tolargertribes,tofederationsoftribes,tocitystates,to nations,tomultinationalalliances,theincrementofassociationincreasedexponentially. AstoneagehuntingbandcouldnotbuildtheParthenon;aRenaissancecitystatecould notputNeilArmstrongontheMoon.Whentheincrementofassociationincreases, throughlargersocialunits,doingmorewithlessbecomesincreasinglypossible. 2.Knowledgeitselfisinherentlyselfaugmenting.Everydiscovery"suggests"further discoveries;everyinnovationprovokesfurtherinnovations.Thiscanbeseenconcretely, intherecordsoftheU.S.PatentOffice,whereyouwillfindmorepatentsgrantedevery yearthanweregrantedtheyearbefore,inarisingcurvethatseemstobeheaded towardinfinity.IfInventorAcanmakeaWhatsitoutof20movingparts,InventorBwill comealongandbuildaWhatsitoutof10movingparts.Ifthetechnologyof1900can get100ergsoutofaWhatchamacallum,thetechnologyof1950canget1,000ergs. Again,thetendencyisalwaystowarddoingmorewithless. Unemploymentisdirectlycausedbythistechnologicalcapacitytodomorewithless. ThousandsofmonksweretechnologicallyunemployedbyGutenberg.Thousandsof blacksmithsweretechnologicallyunemployedbyFord'sModelT.Eachdevicethatdoes morewithlessmakeshumanlaborthatmuchlessnecessary. Aristotlesaidthatslaverycouldonlybeabolishedwhenmachineswerebuiltthatcould operatethemselves.Workingforwages,themodernequivalentofslaveryvery accuratelycalled"wageslavery"bysocialcriticsisintheprocessofbeingabolished byjustsuchselfprogrammingmachines.Infact,NorbertWiener,oneofthecreatorsof cybernetics,foresawthisasearlyas1947andwarnedthatwewouldhavemassive unemploymentoncethecomputerrevolutionreallygotmoving. Itisarguable,andIforonewouldargue,thattheonlyreasonWiener'spredictionhas nottotallybeenrealizedyetalthoughwedohaveeverincreasingunemploymentis thatbigunions,thecorporations,andgovernmenthavealltacitlyagreedtoslowdown thepaceofcybernation,todragtheirfeetandruntheeconomywiththebrakeson.This isbecausetheyall,still,regardunemploymentasa"disease"andcannotimaginea "cure"forthenearlytotalunemploymentthatfullcybernationwillcreate.

Suppose,foramoment,wechallengethisCalvinisticmindset.Letusregardwage workasmostpeopledo,infact,regarditasacurse,adrag,anuisance,abarrier thatstandsbetweenusandwhatwereallywanttodo.Inthatcase,yourjobisthe disease,andunemploymentisthecure. "Butwithoutworkingforwageswe'llallstarvetodeath!?!Won'twe?" Notatall.Manyfarseeingsocialthinkershavesuggestedintelligentandplausibleplans foradaptingtoasocietyofrisingunemployment.Herearesomeexamples. 1.TheNationalDividend.ThiswasinventedbyengineerC.H.Douglasandhasbeen revivedwithsomemodificationsbypoetEzraPoundanddesignerBuckminsterFuller. Thebasicidea(althoughDouglas,Pound,andFullerdifferonthedetails)isthatevery citizenshouldbedeclaredashareholderinthenation,andshouldreceivedividendson theGrossNationalProductfortheyear.Estimatesdifferastohowmuchthiswouldbe foreachcitizen,butatthecurrentleveloftheGNPitisconservativetosaythatashare wouldbeworthseveraltimesasmuch,peryear,asawelfarerecipientreceivesat leastfivetimesmore.Criticscomplainthatthiswouldbeinflationary.Supportersofthe NationalDividendreplythatitwouldonlybeinflationaryifthedividendsdistributedwere morethantheGNP;andtheyareproposingonlytoissuedividendsequaltotheGNP. 2.TheGuaranteedAnnualIncome.ThishasbeenurgedbyeconomistRobert Theobaldandothers.Thegovernmentwouldsimplyestablishanincomelevelabove thepovertylineandguaranteethatnocitizenwouldreceiveless;ifyourwagesfall belowthatlevel,oryouhavenowages,thegovernmentmakesupthedifference.This planwoulddefinitelycostthegovernmentlessthanthepresentwelfaresystem,withall itsbureaucraticredtapeandredundancy:apointworthconsideringforthose conservativeswhoarealwayscomplainingaboutthehighcostofwelfare.Itwouldalso sparetherecipientsthehumiliation,degradationanddehumanizationbuiltintothe presentwelfaresystem:apointforliberalstoconsider.Asystemthatislessexpensive thanwelfareandalsolessdebasingtothepoor,itseemstome,shouldnotbe objectionabletoanybodybuthardcoresadists. 3.TheNegativeIncomeTax.ThiswasfirstdevisedbyNobeleconomistMilton Friedmanandisalessradicalvariationontheaboveideas.TheNegativeIncomeTax wouldestablishaminimumincomeforeverycitizen;anyonewhoseincomefellbelow

thatlevelwouldreceivetheamountnecessarytobringthemuptothatstandard. Friedman,whoissometimescalledaconservativebutpreferstotitlehimselfa libertarian,pointsoutthatthiswouldcost"thegovernment"(i.e.thetaxpayers)lessthan thepresentwelfaresystem,likeTheobald'sGuaranteedAnnualIncome.Itwouldalso dispensewiththelasttingeofhumiliationassociatedwithgovernment"charity,"since whenyoucashedacheckfromIRSnobody(notevenyourbanker)wouldknowifitwas supplementaryincomeduetopovertyorarefundduetooverpaymentoflastyear's taxes. 4.TheRICHEconomy.ThiswasdevisedbyinventorL.WayneBenner(coauthorwith TimothyLearyofTerraII)incollaborationwiththepresentauthor.It'safourstage programtoretoolsocietyforthecyberneticandspaceagefuturewearerapidly entering.RICHmeansRisingIncomethroughCyberneticHomeostasis. StageI istorecognizethatcybernationandmassiveunemploymentareinevitableandto encouragethem.Thiscanbedonebyofferinga$100,000rewardtoanyworkerwho candesignamachinethatwillreplacehimorher,andallothersdoingthesamework. Inotherwords,insteadofbeingdraggedintothecyberneticagekickingandscreaming, weshouldchargeaheadbravely,regardingtheToillessSocietyastheUtopiangoal humanityhasalwayssought. StageII istoestablisheithertheNegativeIncomeTaxortheGuaranteedAnnualIncome, sothatthemassiveunemploymentcausedbyStageIwillnotthrowhordesofpeople intothedegradationofthepresentwelfaresystem. StageIII istogradually,experimentally,raisetheGuaranteedAnnualIncometothelevelof theNationalDividendsuggestedbyDouglas,BuckyFuller,andEzraPound,which wouldgiveeverycitizentheapproximatelivingstandardofthecomfortablemiddle class.Thereasonfordoingthisgraduallyistopacifythoseconservativeeconomists whoclaimthattheNationalDividendis"inflationary"orwouldbepracticallywrecking thebankingbusinessbyloweringtheinterestratetonearzero.Itisourclaimthatthis wouldnothappenaslongasthetotaldividendsdistributedtothepopulaceequaledthe GrossNationalProduct.butsincethisisarevolutionaryandcontroversialidea,itwould

beprudent,weallow,toapproachitinslowsteps,raisingtheminimumincomeperhaps 5percentperyearforthefirsttenyears.And,afterthemassivecybernationcausedby StageIhasproducedaglutofconsumergoods,experimentallyraiseitfurtherand fastertowardthelevelofatrueNationalDividend. StageIV isamassiveinvestmentinadulteducation,fortworeasons. 1.Peoplecanspendonlysomuchtimefucking,smokingdope,andwatching TV;afterawhiletheygetbored.Thisisthemainpsychologicalobjectiontotheworkless society,andtheanswertoitistoeducatepeopleforfunctionsmorecerebralthan fucking,smokingdope,watchingTV,ortheidiotjobsmostarecurrentlytoilingat. 2.Therearevastchallengesandopportunitiesconfrontingusinthenextthree orfourdecades,ofwhichthemostnotablearethosehighlightedinTimLeary'sSMI2LE sloganSpaceMigration,IntelligenceIncrease,LifeExtension.Humanityisaboutto enteranentirelynewevolutionaryrelationshiptospace,time,andconsciousness.We willnolongerbelimitedtooneplanet,toabrief,lessthanacenturylifespan,andtothe stereotypedandroboticmentalprocessesbywhichmostpeoplecurrentlygoverntheir lives.Everybodydeservesthechance,iftheywantit,toparticipateintheevolutionary leaptowhatLearycalls"morespace,moretime,andmoreintelligencetoenjoyspace andtime." DelvetheGALACTICARCHIVESforanamusingtalefromthefuture: "PresidentHubbard'sfirststepinestablishingtheRICHEconomywastooffera prizeof$50,000peryeartoanyworkerwhocoulddesignamachinethatwouldreplace himorher." WhatIamproposing,inbrief,isthattheWorkEthic(findaMastertoemployyoufor wages,orliveinsqualidpoverty)isobsolete.AWorkEstheticwillhavetoariseto replacethisoldStoneAgesyndromeoftheslave,thepeasant,theserf,theprole,the wageworkerthehumanlabormachinewhoisnotfullyapersonbut,asMarxsaid,"a tool,anautomaton."Deliveredfromtheroleofthingsandrobots,peoplewilllearnto becomefullydevelopedpersons,inthesenseoftheHumanPotentialmovement.They willnotseekworkoutofeconomicnecessity,butoutofpsychologicalnecessityasan

outletfortheircreativepotential. ("Creativepotential"isnotapanchreston.Itreferstotheinborndrivetoplay,totinker,to explore,andtoexperiment,shownbyeverychildbeforehisorhermentalprocessesare stuntedbyauthoritarianeducationandoperantconditionedwagerobotry.) AsBuckyFullersays,thefirstthoughtofpeople,oncetheyaredeliveredfromwage slavery,willbe,"WhatwasitthatIwassointerestedinasayouth,beforeIwastoldI hadtoearnaliving?"Theanswertothatquestion,comingfrommillionsandthen billionsofpersonsliberatedfrommechanicaltoil,willmaketheRenaissancelooklikea highschoolsciencefairoraGreenwichVillageartshow.

ExtractsfromTheIlluminatiPapers,RobertAntonWilson,1980,RoninPublishing,Inc., P.O.Box1035,Berkeley,CA94701. Home|Whywork?|AboutCLAWS|Contact