Zero Work Theory
Part-I
Introduction
The basic idea of Zero Work
Theory (ZWT) originally embarked under a long title: “An ALTERNATIVE to
Marxian Scientific Socialism – The Theory Reduction in Working Hours - A Demand
6 Hour Working Day”. The Book published
in the year 1981. I consider it as the early segment of ZWT.
The main objective of the
theory was to present an “Alternative to Marxian Socialism or Communism”. It proclaims
that the world working class movement need a new working class theory because Marxism as a whole utterly failed to understand them, since it completely ignores
THE FOUR FUNDAMENTAL ASPECTS OF LABOR EXPLOITATION on the working population as
a whole, which wreak havoc in their everyday life, Marxism could not foresee
the rapid development of science and technologies of the future especially the
exponential growth in the field of Artificial Intelligent (AI) ROBOT,
automation going to replace most human labor. Therefore, Marxism could not anticipate
the future development of its own favourite productive forces, labour productivity could
make his beloved working class, human labor completely USELESS, redundant or
obsolete in the social production of goods and services within a couple of centuries.
Having the opportunity to
access this historical perspective of the future in the 1980’s, I envisioned that
the historical mission of the laboring class" is to gradually reduce
the working hours in the day step by step, when it finally reduced to zero,
there will be no more need of human wage-labor in the social production
therefore, the society will need to establish a new kind of income distribution
economic system. That is why my theory at this point today professes that every
citizen of the world must receive a Guaranteed, Adequate Universal Basic Income
in order to lead a healthy, comfortable, secure life. Thereby, the
historic compulsion on the humankind to labor in order to meet their basic needs, in the form of wages,
salary will be completely eliminated. My revised name for this theory is
"Zero Work Theory" (ZWT).
Zero Work Theory Advocate Abolition
of Wage (paid) Labor
The ZWT declares that, “The basic relationship of
workers to their LABOR” comes from the COMPULSION" in order to obtain their
“means of subsistence”, in the form of food, shelter, clothing, health,
security, education and basic comforts. Humans MUST work; it is not a choice
but a necessity. The need to work originally imposes by nature on humans, which
resulted in allowing a strong minority of the population to exploit (oppress,
subjugate etc.) the weaker majority to work for them for various reasons,
mainly the private property. It enables the minority to obtain a portion of the
products or “value” of the majority’s labor to accumulate wealth and become
rich. This is the root-cause of inequality, poverty, injustice, crimes and
corruption in the present society. Therefore the ZWT claims; as the technology
progress, labor productivity rises and the NEED for labor decreases, the
society as a whole should engage in a step-by-step reduction in work hours to
continually re-balance the labor value distribution to prevent the widening the
income gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots”. It should finally end
into the Zero Working Day, providing the REAL FREEDOM, LIBERATING the majority of
the population, if not the entire human race from its historical compulsion,
adversity; the drudgery of the Wage- Labor servitude. It is the complete
elimination of the last remnant of historical human labor bondage a form of
human SLAVERY, thereby, to establish a truly Democratic, humanitarian and
equitable socio-economic political system.
Labor is a COMPULSION: Workers Not Really Free to
Make A choice of Not To Work
It is true that the workers are made free
to do labor but they are not “really” free, NOT TO DO IT. Otherwise, they
will be deprived of their basic income. Without the basic income one can’t
afford their needs, wants, decent food, clothing, shelter, health, education
and other basic comforts in life. They will be forced to undergo immense
suffering, starvation, homelessness, left to die or reduced to BEGGING. One may
call it as a “free choice” but I consider it as the most degrading kind of
labor (job, profession?) next to prostitution (no offence intended), which
existed since the dawn of human species. Therefore, like the human labor, if
the prostitution and begging forced genuinely by their economic conditions, it
can be completely eliminated with an Adequate UNCONDITIONAL Basic Income
Guaranty, popularly known as the Universal Basic Income (UBI) which I see as
the early manifestation of the ZWT.
Fundamental difference
between the ZWT "Wage-Labor Exploitation" and Marxian “Working Class
Exploitation”
According to the ZWT,
throughout the human history, till the present day, humankind has undergone
four basic kinds of labor exploitation. 1. Subsistence Sustenance
Exploitation 2. Relative Labor Exploitation 3. Productive Labor
Exploitation 4. Absolute Labor Exploitation (the book explains, each of
it in details). These exploitations are, primarily responsible for most of the
social inequality, injustice, poverty, repression corruption which exists both
in the capitalist and the socialist systems in the world today. The concept of
"Labor Exploitation" in Zero Work Theory is fundamentally different
from Marxian Socialist concept of ruling (capitalist) class exploitation of
working class, founded on the “Private Means of Production”.
Marxism claims that
LABOR-EXPLOITATION exists mainly due to the social "class" system,
which results in the constant "class struggle" between the minority
ruling "capitalist class", owning the means of production and the
majority working class which doesn’t. It classifies the human history so
far, into three main social systems: 1.Slavery, 2.Feudalism, 3.Capitalism; in
all these three systems the “property owning” minority rich class primarily
exists/survives/dwells on the labor exploitation of the poor majority class.
Therefore, Marxism claims that the private ownership of wealth or property is
the fundamental reason of the exploitation on the working class, which is
responsible for all kinds of social evils like injustice, inequality, poverty,
repression, corruption, crimes, prevailing in the human society. Therefore, it
proclaims that there is a 4th system namely the Socialist or Communist system
which will completely eliminate the labor exploitation mainly by the
ABOLITION of the private ownership of the means of production, commonly
known as the Private Property.
Marxist fundamentally claim
that the human society will have social, economic and political equality if it
abolishes the “private ownership of means of production”, which in turn will
abolish labor exploitation of the working class, thereby ushering in a
"classless" communist society. But today, all of these theories have
been proven completely wrong. Another Marxian basic concept, which claims that
only human labor can creates value and wealth in society also turning to be
absolutely wrong, most importantly because the rapid progress in the Artificial
intelligence (AI) robotics and automation making the human labor no more as
valuable or redundant. One of Marx's most famous quotes is, "From
each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." This envisages
that under the communism people need to labor according to your capacity, and
then society provides everyone with everything they will need. It is like the
science fiction movies we see today, where all of the humans in the future
still engaged in labor, despite the high tech world they live in.
ZWT agrees with the Marxist
theory to the extent of saying that the capitalist basically exploit the labor
of workers in the form of Relative Labor Exploitation. Nevertheless, it
thoroughly denounces Marxism for failing to recognize the rest of the labor
exploitation, which makes it unable to address the issue of on-going other real
labor exploitations (mentioned above) that also includes self-employed underemployed
and unemployed. Moreover, ZWT does not accept that the abolition of “private
property" will end any of the Labor Exploitation in the society.
Irrespective of whoever runs/manages the means of production (factories,
industries, companies, business, corporation etc.) as long as the compulsion of
labor exist for workers to earn their livelihood, the entire chain of labor
exploitation will continue. Only the overall reduction in working hours will
reduce labor exploitation and will completely end it when it finally reaches the
Zero Work with the support of an adequate Universal Basic Income.
Historical Materialism: ZWT view on the Artificial Intelligence (AI) ROBOTS
Robots are basically the DESCENDANTS
of the tools used by primitive humans as an extension of their body parts to perform
functions, which increase the productivity of their labor. Humans now have
achieved such a high degree of technological sophistication that the AI robots
can (or soon will) SUBSTITUTE nearly any physical function of the human body,
including the intelligent function of the BRAIN
As per the ZWT, in the early
human historical developmental stages, the primitive man made tools stones,
sticks vines, bones etc., which substituted many functions of human body, was
an extension of their hands, legs, body, to improve their laboring capacity. The
second stage was centred around the industrial revolution of the 18th century.
Human/animal MUSCLE POWER was replaced by steam engines and later by the
gigantic electric motor power. These machine tools, seen in the power looms in
those early days, tremendously increased labor productivity, which started the era of mass production thereby
mass consumption but always needed the
human brain cognitive ability in the loop to make them to perform the
work.
By the second half of the
20th century, ushered the third and final stage of human labor replacement. The beginning of Artificial
Intelligence (AI). Integrated-circuits, silicon
microchip, Cybernetic Revolution. The calculators, software programmed
computers and the sophisticated AI machine/deep learning robot automation. It
can replace most of the functions of human brain cognitive power called “intelligence”.
These sophisticated humanoid robots in the future can do most of the jobs that
humans perform, making most of the human wage-labor completely redundant.
Now in the 21st
century today, the new autonomous AI machines, incorporated with
DEEP/MACHINE-LEARNING (self-programming software, algorithms of various types),
in combination with web-based cloud sharing, can already do things that are
beyond any human capacity and with every generation of software will become
faster and better, superior to human intelligence in many significant ways. The
emerging QUANTUM computers can bring in new paradigm shift in the field, in the
very near future; say in 10 to 20 years, it will completely replace the needs
of the intelligent human labor brain functions in the service sector like it
happened previously in the manufacturing agricultural and the manufacturing
sector. Even the professional jobs like doctors, lawyers even judges can be
efficiently replaced by the AI robots. In one word, the AI robots will
completely remove the necessity of human labor in the future production of
goods and services. Therefore, a gradual reduction or even a complete end to
working hours (zero work) with the empowering UBI entitlement will become a
necessity for human society. This is the historical perspective of the Zero Work
Theory, in contrast to Marxist Historical Materialism, which I described
earlier.
The Readers Response to My Book when it Published in 1981.
Except for one or two
positive book reviews in the popular Kannada News Papers in 1981 (which still
remain popular today), there was not much response. I think my book failed to
get the "response" it needed, to become a book that made political
changes, because of my situation of that time.
Reasons for The failure of Reduction in Working Hour (RWH) Theory to get
the Response It Needed
Imagine some unknown young
guy with no academic background or any credentials, proposing this theory of
step by step reduction in the working hours ending in Zero Work in 1981; as an
alternative to Marxian Socialism. No one will believe it would be possible; which
continues even today for many people. No sensible publisher at that time would
even look at it. It had to be self-published by my small workers group. We
tried to distribute it to well-known academics, but outside our group no one
was interested. With hindsight, I see that I was the wrong person to deliver
this message, I was underprivileged and disadvantaged, (a description that
still applies). I wanted to achieve an impossible task, exposing a fundamental
flaw in Marxism, a philosophy followed by hundreds of millions of people and
for a century. No matter what I did, I would never convince the world
socialist/communist leadership (who, in India, are leaders of most organized
workers) to abandon their socialist revolution ideology for my reduction in
working hours demand. If no one would listen to me, I had to wait for history
to prove which theory was right.
Since 1980’s, the working
hours of the working class not reduced significantly as it should be as per the
ZWT, as a consequence, the overall “value of the labor power” has decreased.
The technological progress has wiped out the large portion of industrial
manufacturing jobs, shifting the large portion of employment into the service
sector jobs. This has declined the strength of the working class nearly
to a collapsing point. On the other hand, the strength of Capitalist or
“ruling” class had grown many folds. Paradoxically, Instead of the working
class demanding a reduction in working hours, the ruling class has begun to
offer a reduction in working hours. The corporate giant of the
“Silicon-Valley”, have even begun to promote the idea of UBI, An Unconditional Guaranteed Income will allow large number of laboring individuals to quit or withdraw from wage labor, resulting in overall Reduction In Working Hours in the society. I see this as an early manifestation of the Zero Work Theory (ZWT) which is the contemporary version of my revised Reduction in Working Hour Theory (RWHT). Today I am more confident that
history will prove that RWHT is right than ever before. I warned about the rising threat of progressing
technology, driving unemployment and proposed a scientific solution, the
gradual Work Reduction towards Zero
Working Hours in 1981. However, pundits in the field even
today have not yet recognized or very reluctant to accept this important
historical message of ZWT.
In 1980 the "working
class" meant industrial jobs, manufacturing, and factory jobs. These jobs
have dwindled away around the world rapidly since, even in late developing
countries like India. As working class jobs in the manufacturing shrink down.
Office and professional jobs are seriously threatened by the AI automation, the
service sector workers in constant fear of following the same dwindling away job
loss process. Against the wishes of the Marx and all his predecessors, almost
all of the Communist/Socialist countries in principle are gone. All capitalists
nations did not become socialist, and no socialist country evolved into a
Utopian paradise. Socialist went back to become capitalist but no socialist
theory said, "we will become socialist, then go back to capitalism, then
become socialist again, and THEN become a Utopia". Today we can safely say
that history has spoken, and we can forget about traditional idea of Socialism.
ZWT written in 1981 in
India. What is the relevance of it to the rest of the world today?
ZWT is more relevant to the
world today than ever before! It applies primarily to industrially developed
nations, rather than developing countries like India, but as any nation
develops the theory has a greater impact. My writing definitely applies to the
United States, the world's leading industrial superpower as the ZWT model. The
majority of economists say that China will soon be the world's #1 economy.
China and a few smaller nations were very late to develop (much of Africa has
still to develop) and their Industrial base is still growing. ZWT predicts that
as China develops, they will follow the same pattern of massive industrial
unemployment, followed a few years later by growth and then decline in
white-collar work. China will seek relief through some form of UBI, as will
India. The World Business as well political leader, future experts talking
about the UBI. In the US emerging new political aspirations have started
sponsoring the idea of some kind of
"basic income" or UBI.
I don't expect the
academics to read my theory or mention me or the theory by name but I do see
them expressing their concerns of the progressing technological impending
impact and the solutions, that I spoke back in 1981. Nations need to realize
that "Technological Unemployment", created by the AI deep-learning
robots, will make human labor redundant prompting Zero Work Society. Therefore,
the need of the human wage-labor in the society can be completely done away
with requiring the implementation of an adequate Universal Basic Income (UBI).
Does this theory apply just
to the rich, or equally to the poor countries? How would it be applied in India
vs. America?
Even though India is still
a developing country it will quickly follow the world, particularly the US. The
IT and Knowledge Industry in India will be impacted the first. I am not sure to
what extent we will see the entry of self-driving vehicles on Indian roads or
Wal-Mart robots in our supermarkets in the next 5 to 10 years. However, the
most important thing to know is that developing countries like India, seeking a
place in today's Globalized world, will be HELPLESS to do anything other than
following the technological trends in industrialized nations.
If robots take over all work,
what happens to today's jobs in the ZWT?
Past industrial revolutions
created far more jobs than they replaced. The intelligent robot revolution will
be different, wiping out all jobs performed by humans today. This is the first
time that there is a potential for NO net job creation. These robots are
capable performing not just existing jobs, but new jobs that are created by
technology changes. Robots are always more efficient and cost less than human
alternatives. Every year, the best robot gets better. The best human, the
absolute best in the world at doing a job, doesn't get better but does want to
be paid more. Don't we all expect to get a raise, especially as we become
experienced and perform better? Robots get cheaper as they improve. The robot
revolution will create new jobs, such as robot service technician. But new jobs
can be taken over by robots, just like old jobs were.
When most human labor
becomes redundant, and there are far more people than work, the majority of
people will have no employment. However, humans will still fill some jobs,
those that robots are not yet ready or not allowed to do. This could be less
than 50% of the jobs today. If there are only 30 jobs for 100 workers, no
amount of effort or perseverance on the part of workers will result in more
than 30% employment. The 70% unemployed can start their own business but a few
may have the skills to run a restaurant, make jewellery, write a book (that
sells), or even invent something. In America today, 90% of new businesses fail
in a good economy. Self-employment and small businesses might add 5% to 10%
jobs at best. For everyone else, the vast majority, we need an adequate
Universal Basic Income (UBI).
However, some people will
demand a job. They may have critical skills, such as doctors and scientists,
that strongly benefit society should be kept employed. Other individuals will
outright reject a government stipend. To address these social issues, we need
to reduce the number of hours in a typical working week. The reduction in the
work week to 30 or fewer hours is probably a good starting place. For every
nation, their formula for an UBI and for a reduced work week will vary and may
change over time. It is for the people of every nation to DEMOCRATICALLY decide
these details. Finally the ZWT envisages that all human work in the productions
of social goods and services needs to become completely voluntary no more wages
or economic incentive will be paid for human work .
What needs to happen to
implement the ZWT and when? Who needs to take action?
My present position is that
rapid AI robot automation will cause massive job losses and massive
‘Technological Unemployment’ problems. Public opinion, mass demonstrations,
social media and finally the electorate will compel Governments to implement
"Universal Basic Income" (UBI) or something of that sort, more so in
the industrially developed countries. It fundamentally differs from classical Capitalist
poverty alleviation welfare or unemployment benefit programs. UBI will be
entirely new kind of Income distribution socio-economic system, it will provide
an "escape valve" for people who cannot find a job and do not want to
work anymore. My interpretation of the UBI today is that it is an early manifestation
of ZWT, a visible sign of economy adjusting to lessening of the overall Working
Hours in the human society.
UBI Is Most Essential Part
of the Zero Work Theory
A Universal Basic Income or
whatever may be the name will provide an alternative to a socially destructive
level of technological unemployment. Realistically, when most jobs go away,
they won't go away evenly. Robots will quickly replace clerks and truck
drivers, but heart surgeons will take longer. America already has tens of
millions of adults who do not work, for one reason or another. If everyone was
not financially required to work, parents would spend more time raising their
children or taking care of their elderly parents. That's what adults want to
do, that what their children want, and it's what THEIR parents want. It is also
what governments say are good family values and they want.
The Cost of UBI
Many say the cost of UBI will
be a tremendous burden on the Government that may not able to sustain in the
present budget conditions. Others disagree. There are many ways that the
Government can overcome the burden. It can be difficult but what is the alternative? Governments are just beginning to
realize the extent of the disruption that will be caused by robots. Will
America outlaw technology? Can that be done if China and other countries
continue to use technology to dominate the global economy? We have seen in the
global financial collapse when unemployment reaches to 8-10%. Just imagine how difficult it will be
for governments to deal with robotic unemployment of 50% or more? Will they
offer training programs for jobs that do not exist, or are about to be replaced
by robots? What is the alternative to a UBI that offers any dignity to the
millions who cannot ever re-enter the job market? For a dislocation in the job
market this big, it takes a solution that is equally big. To survive the AI
Deep-Learning robot revolution we need the UBI to reduce the total number of
workers in the labor force, and then we need to share the remaining work through
a reduced-hour work week.
The historic progress of
science and technology has created smart machines... robots and artificial
intelligence. Deep learning is a technology with the capability to understand
and duplicate human labor functions, and then instruct robots how to
independently produce goods and services in abundance. Little if any human
wage-labor will be needed. In the past, asking to be paid without working for
the money was considered lazy, or greedy, or dysfunctional. In the age of the
robot, instead of compelling everyone to have a job, people who are not willing
or capable of performing jobs should be allowed to withdraw from the job market
through the UBI and reduce the unemployment level. They can be free to do
whatever they like. Millennial might like it the most!
ZWT Proposal to Finance the
UBI
Many proponents of
Universal Basic Income suggest that the UBI can get enough funds by replacing
or cancelling the existing Govt. Entitlement, Welfare Programs. However, the
cancellation of these programs will mostly affect the poor, weak and the
underprivileged. It will face strong resistance, protest from many quarters of
society including the interest lobby groups like pensioners, women, etc.,
making it a highly sensitive issue in the mainstream media, some of it can be
very genuine. Providing a meagre amount in the name of UBI with the
cancellation of the popular Govt. welfare programs would be unethical and
unacceptable. Therefore, let explore some new avenues, alternatives to finance
an Adequate UBI.
Zero Work Theory which
considers UBI as the part and partial of its overall program has a very
important proposal to fund the UBI. There should be a Universal or Uniform
Income Tax (UIT) to fund the UBI. Under which the Government should
implement a flat rate (Uniform) Income Tax on every income earning that the
people make or receive. More of it explained in my blog: “ZWT Proposal: Uniform Income Tax To Fund UBI” :
http://anticorruptionfight.blogspot.in/2017/08/zwt-proposal-uniform-income-tax-to-fund.html
End of Part-I ZWT; see the
Part-II Zero Work Theory in the following post: (http://anticorruptionfight.blogspot.in/2017/04/)
Original Theory Book Published in 1981. Upgrade ZWT version 2016.- Latest 201-02-2018 © Valerian Texeira
