By: Shreepal Singh
Nobody wants to work and he or she has to be compelled to work. Nobody wants to work but he or she needs a multitude of items of basic necessities, and extended necessities. But all of these items need the work of humans (and now-a-days robots) to be produced. Nothing is free in this world and there is no item that does not cost something – an amount of work. Then, everybody has to be somehow compelled to work. Which way can one be compelled to work? There are many ways to do this and there are as many economic theories and political ideologies.
Work consumes energy, which energy is available in human’s biological body in a limited quantity and needs replenishment again and again on daily basis. It requires food and other items to replenish this energy and keep this physical human body healthy and its reservoir of energy inexhaustible, which food and items are not available for free. It is a cycle of give and take and one has to pay (in the form of work) for what one gets for replenishing one’s reservoir of energy. Human biology forces him to conserve his energy by avoiding work or at least by minimizing this work.
If you allow a person the right to take work from others, and the right to fire if these others do not work, then it is capitalism – an economic theory – of democracy, a political ideology.
If you allow the state – as against an individual – the right to take work from its citizens, and the right to physically coerce these citizens in case they do not work, then it is collective commune – an economic theory – of socialism or communism, a political ideology.
If you allow the king – and lords or zamindars under him – the right to take work from his subjects, and the right to confiscate land, houses, household items if these subjects do not work, then it is feudalism – an economic theory – of monarchy, a political ideology.
If you allow the tribe – as against an individual, state or king – the right to take work from the members of its community, and the right to deny a share in the common produce of the tribe, then it is primitive economy of the tribal society.
We do not want to work but we need to work. This has been our story so far – from the cave dwelling days to the days of modern technology. But now robots have come on the scene to take over this need to work. It is an entry of a new factor in human society. Humanity has to reconcile itself with the new situation. The story that has been so far has to change in some way. It is a turning point in our story. Which way we need to change the direction, is the matter of great importance that we will have to consider very soon.