Socialist is a misnomer. You can't have a functioning government without socialism. Some say we're at 60% socialism, others say we're near a 50/50 split.
A socialist in the context of the United States means something else, essentially democratic socialism, which uses the term socialism, but really means capitalism plus socialized healthcare. There is no pure socialist movement with any wheels to it. And even if there was, there would be no way for that movement to change anything. They'd have to wait it out like the rest of us.
We don't need nanotechnology. Just think about every possible job a human can do, and think about what machines and AI will do in 20-30 years.
We already have AI that can order a pizza from a receptionist with a thick accent, and have that person have no clue they are talking to AI. Do you really think people are going to be needed as accountants in 20 years? It's all going away. Not by socialism, but by basic technology that we've already started.
And don't get me started on VR. We'll all be hooked to it 24/7. That's where we'll be working as content creators. Sure, the AI can write worlds on top of worlds faster than you can think, but the ones you create will be the most interesting, because you are better able to tap into what people enjoy seeing. Quality over quantity. That's really the only way I see capitalism surviving.
And to think how often the left gets laughed at for their arts degrees. Wouldn't that be hilarious if it helped save capitalism.
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eYeDEF (5050)
5 years ago
Yup. I think many of the things you're describing will come to fruition. But it's never so easily predictable and straightforward because there are ALWAYS twists when trying to predict the future. Technology has the potential to create new opportunities and markets, and hence economies virtually overnight that were previously unimaginable ... or at least very difficult to conceptualize by all but of the most creative sci-fi visionaries.
Though I still think it's an open question whether we'll survive the AI revolution. There are numerous looming issues about how well we'll be be to control autonomous AI. But assuming that's not an issue, there's also the certainty governments, techno-terrorists, privatized military industrial corporate powers will weaponize AI for the purpose of cementing power and control. There will be an AI arms race, that is an absolute certainty, and it's impossible to speculate how that will play out at this early stage given the virtually limitless destructive potential of weaponized AI and not knowing who will be first to obtain and harness such destructive power. An AI apocalypse is not at all unreasonable nor unimaginable.
But should all of the above not kill us, capitalism will still be necessary from all the new and developing economies and opportunities just from the AI revolution itself; at least in the near term of 30 years. Like the quest for the singularity. We shall be seeking to merge such vast intellectual capacity available in AI to expand the capabilities of our biological minds. Can AI help us resolve the hard problem of consciousness? If so, all bets are off.
As for the "capital" in 'capitalism', it would have to survive. We're not going to go back to the days of barter and trade. Cryptocurrencies are here to stay and will float like they do now, independent of any government backing. They'll be valued and used based on their innate features of technological utility and security.
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