"Will we work in twenty-first century capitalism? A critique of the fourth industrial revolution literature"
by Morgan, Jamie (2019)
Abstract
The fourth industrial revolution has become a prominent concept and imminent technological change a major issue. Facets are everyone?s concern but currently no one?s ultimate responsibility (perhaps a little like financial stability before the global financial crisis). In this paper, we argue that the future is being shaped now by the way the fourth industrial revolution is being positioned. Whilst no one has set out to argue for or defend technological determinism, anxiety combined with passivity and complacency are being produced in the context of a quasi-determinism. The contingent quantification of the future with regard to the potential for job displacement provides an influential source of authority for this position. A background narrative of ?the future is coming, so you better get used to it? is being disseminated. This favours a capitalism that may ?deny work to the many? perspective rather than a more fundamental rethink that encompasses change that may liberate the many from work. This, in turn, positions workers and responsibility for future employment, reducing the urgency of calls for wider societal preparation. Public understanding and policy are thus affected and along with them the future of work.
Key Passage
it is important to note that the world of tomorrow that Keynes is focused on in his essay is not ours. That world is not just one that has achieved technological wonders, it is one that has implicitly transitioned to a radically different socio-economic form of organization. (p.380)
Keywords
Post-Work, The Future Of Work, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Industrial Revolution, Automation, Technology, The Future Of Work, Production, Post-WorkThemes
Technology, Employment, Fourth Industrial Revolution, AutomationLinks to Reference
- https://doi.org/10.1080/03085147.2019.1620027
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03085147.2019.1620027
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03085147.2019.1620027?casa_token=ftcZ2uloZxMAAAAA:KuDpFp1WQ7yqwEgoXZrBsaJYTcJ5misgxJAsxVoO0xT3-gHVUTKD8bba0m8ooScU2VEVTqpz_jFn6A
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03085147.2019.1620027?casa_token=RdN2YczSBS4AAAAA:SnQLCu4GEr9m6l_n0wg2iJGN7Q6iV17A_IsotHbObl2stzpPDADZAPYqZ3GQ0rudhLGJwvaDG3r1rA
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