HN2new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

This is silly. The world isn't balanced like that. Many improvements have no disadvantage. More efficient photovoltaic cells, not needing hfcfs in pressurized spray cans, discovering that you can add a bit of carbon to iron, ...


> Many improvements have no disadvantage

Every improvement has, at the very least, its Luddite cost. It forces some people to change, and some of those people won’t like that.


What was the disadvantage introduced by having doctors wash their hands or the invention of antibiotics?


> What was the disadvantage introduced by having doctors wash their hands or the invention of antibiotics?

Not disadvantage, trade-off cost. Someone, no doubt, lost business selling quack cures.


I can only speculate. I would say an overall weakened immune system.

Is your point that there are technologies with only benefits?


Washing hands for doctors? Probably not much.

Invention of antibiotics, its use and abuse increased bacterial resistance to them.


You could argue that automation is one of those improvements with no disadvantage. But it can also result in people losing their jobs and those people might be opposed to it.

I would argue that the same is true with the gig economy. It benefits the people participating in it greatly but it also cost some people their jobs (e.g. taxi drivers).


One of the most embattled changes of the last 20 years is not likely to make the list of `improvements with no disadvantage`...


Losing a job isn’t inherently bad. I’d only bad now because we’ve decided to arrange society around zero sum thinking.


It’s pretty inherently bad if losing your job means you can’t feed your kids or yourself.


Exactly. It’s absurd the consequences of losing your job are so fundamental. It’s time civilisation moved forward from this.


I think we probably agree 100% about this, but the reality today is what’s important to people losing their job today.

I don’t think you mean to downplay the impact of someone losing their job today, but that’s how it came across to me.


If there was ever a time we had a direct opportunity to change this dynamic it's today.


I really hope you’re right, but I don’t see it. I really want to be wrong though. It would be amazing.


If that is your position I would refer you to the myth of thamus[0] and the writings of Neil Postman.

[0]https://bearskindigital.com/2015/01/20/the-myth-of-thamus-an...


That was pretty unconvincing. Some people think writing makes your memory lazy? Well even more think it can serve as a tool in learning and as a tool for memorisation. Now what?


Of course they have disadvantageS to something or someone. Some are just more abstract, removed or minor.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: