"The Ethical Consequences of Global Technology and the End of Work"--International Ethics Lecture

David Tabachnick is a Professor of Political Science at Nipissing University.  His research interests include History of Political Thought, Bioethics, Canadian Foreign Policy and Philosophy of Technology. His publications includeThe Great Reversal: How We Let Technology Take Control of the Planet(University of Toronto Press, 2013), along withnumerous co-edited collections: Challenging Theocracy: Ancient Lessons for Global Politics(University of Toronto Press, 2018); Citizenship and Multiculturalism in Western Liberal Democracies(Lexington Press, 2017);The Question of Peace in Modern Political Thought(Wilfrid Laurier Press, 2015); On Oligarchy: Ancient Lessons on Global Politics (University of Toronto Press, 2011);Enduring Empire: Ancient Lessons for Global Politics(University of Toronto Press, 2009);Confronting Tyranny: Ancient Lessons for Global Politics(Rowman and Littlefield, 2006); and Globalization, Technology and Philosophy(SUNY, 2004).Description of talk: The “end of work” has been weighed and considered by economics and philosophers for decades. As has been argued, the end of work will have tremendous consequences not just for the global economy but also in the lives of individuals. Today, we seem upon the cusp of this event, with millions of manufacturing jobs already displaced by better and cheaper forms of automation. Similar but less anticipated displacement are predicted in the service sector with the rise of artificial intelligence.So, on the one hand, we see what I call “technical” crises associated with the end of work. The purpose and place of trade agreements that protect domestic workforces will become less and less relevant as machines and AI replace those workers. Less advanced economies will also be affected by this radical change. As cheaper automation spurs changes in the basic dynamics of global manufacturing, market advantages related to cheap labor may also dissipate. This will accelerate the widening of the international inequality gap. Most notably, traditional means and opportunities for income and purchasing power in advanced consumer oriented economies will be significantly eroded.Yet, on the other hand, we will also soon be faced with “ethical” crises in the after work world. In technological societies, there has been a close, if not air tight, connection between work and human fulfillment. However, if and when that means for fulfillment is eclipsed, it remains unclear by what other means individual humans will find purpose in their lives. Whether in liberal capitalistic, planned or hybrid economies, this multi-generational challenge looms large.There have many proposals and pilot projects to address the first set of “technical” issues. New programs such as “guaranteed basic income” to compensate for a sudden decline in the need for work might help protect the consumer model at the basis of advanced economies. But such programs will not address the deeper, even existential, ethical crises.Strangely, then, where the global spread of technology was at its founding intrinsically linked to the idea of global human development, we now see a profound schism between these two elements. Globalization and international technological advancement seems at odds with the entire course of modern era conceptions of humanity.By exploring alternative conceptions, it might be possible to revive and find relevance in older ideas of human fulfillment. The alternative notions of leisure and play may be a worthy if not better replacement for work in our age of advanced globalization and technology. A possible avenue for this exploration is Article 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that “Everyone has the right to rest and leisure…” Replacing work with leisure and play will require a tremendous shift in our thinking about economics, international relations and, at basis, our sense of self.