The left, & social change

Chris Dillow writes about The left, & social change.

Perhaps another technology-induced social change is occuring. For example, the collapse in the cost of storing and transmitting information makes dencentralization — worker control — feasible where previously there was hierarchy. And lower capital requirements might be undermining the monopoly power of big capitalism in favour of smaller companies. We can encourage this for example by spending our money at indepedent coffee shops, craft breweries, worker coops or through P2P lending rather than at capitalist firms.  

What I'm saying here is that the transition to a better society might occur not (just) by protesting or waiting for a big bang revolution, but as a result of countless small individual actions, which might have echoes throughout society.  Obviously, I don't know what all these actions should be — but if the left can apply millions of brains to the question, it might find some answers.

Emphasis Mine

The technology-induced social change that is occurring in the complete automation of Department II. Workers who perform rote tasks are going to lose their livelihoods.

The workers who survive this purge are going to have skills and abilities are difficult to automate, or are of such a nature that automation devalues the product to the consumer. For example, an artist who paints by numbers can be replaced a machine, while an artist exceeds their customer's expectations is more likely to be employed. Another example is a programmer who codes through using Google, can be replaced by a program that does the same thing. Whereas a programmer who solves the problem that a customer has, is more likely to be employed.

I think that the sifting machine of Capitalism will favour the development of workers who think and see beyond their job. Besides being harder to replace by machines, they will develop the ability to stay ahead of the changing game.

The natural selection of the Capitalist workplace will workers develop their consciousness about the world around them as theories are rapidly destroyed in the furnace of Capitalism.

Workers who come together in revolutionary parties will be available to do develop faster through access to tested Marxist theory and practice. As these parties growth, the more ideas are generated and tested against reality until viable roads to Socialism are constructed.

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