post-work-society

The introduction of 'Four Futures' situates the discussion of post-capitalist worlds within the dual frameworks of technological advancement and ecological crisis. It references a broad spectrum of sources to highlight the accelerating impacts of automation, climate change, and economic stagnation, framing these as both apocalyptic threats and utopian possibilities. The chapter sets up a critical examination of how emerging technologies and environmental challenges could shape divergent futures beyond capitalism.

Chapter 6 of 'Inventing the Future' outlines a vision for a post-work society centered on fully automating the economy to liberate humanity from drudgery and reduce work. It argues for non-reformist reforms that are utopian yet grounded in current technological trends, emphasizing the acceleration of automation as a political project to break beyond neoliberalism. The chapter traces historical and contemporary shifts in labor markets due to automation and highlights the transformative potential and challenges of the latest wave of algorithmic and robotic technologies.

Chapter 7 of 'Inventing the Future' argues that achieving a post-work society requires a long-term counter-hegemonic strategy to overturn the dominant neoliberal common sense that normalizes work and capitalism. The authors emphasize the need to build new social, cultural, and intellectual conditions that challenge existing power structures, rather than relying on traditional revolutionary or reformist approaches. They highlight the concept of hegemony as the engineering of consent by ruling classes and propose that the left must develop a new common sense to mobilize diverse social groups towards postcapitalism.