Overview

Silicon Valley titans, politicians, techno-futurists and social critics have united in arguing that we are living on the cusp of an era of rapid technological automation, heralding the end of work as we know it. But does the much-discussed ""rise of the robots"" really explain the worsening jobs crisis? In Automation and the Future of Work, Aaron Benanav uncovers the structural economic trends that will shape our working lives far into the future. What social movements, he asks, are required to propel us into post-scarcity, if technological innovation alone can’t deliver it? In response to calls for a universal basic income that would maintain a growing army of redundant workers, he offers a counterproposal.

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9781839761324

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Reviews

Compelling reading. A rising star among the intelligentsia of the left * Dublin Review of Books * Aaron Benanav demolishes the popular myths around automation -- Ben Tarnoff, editor of Logic magazine A rare book that manages to soberly assess the contemporary landscape while keeping a clear eye on our utopian horizons. This is a must-read for anyone who believes capitalist decay is not the only future -- Nick Srnicek, author of Platform Capitalism Thought-provoking ... packs quite a punch of macroeconomics and practical philosophy * International Policy Digest * A powerful and persuasive explanation of why capitalism can't create jobs or generate incomes for a majority of humanity -- Mike Davis, author of Set the Night on Fire The two parts of Benanav's book - analytic and utopian - correspond to the two halves of the Marxian project: to both interpret the world, and change it -- Lola Seaton * New Statesman * An excellent, insightful account of the contours of our present labor crisis. Benanav articulately makes the case for a post-scarcity future -- Robert Skidelsky, biographer of John Maynard Keynes A highly quantitative analysis of the nature of contemporary unemployment flowers into something quite different and unexpected: a qualitative argument for the invention of new collective capacities in a world where work is no longer central to social life -- Kristin Ross, author of Communal Luxury Benanav dissects and disproves the idea that automation is eradicating work ... We don't need to wait for robots to do all the work; we can collectively decide what we need, then plan the economy to achieve it -- Paris Marx * Passage * He can write movingly and do so on a global scale -- Patrick McGinty * Pittsburgh Post Gazette * Meticulous...provides crucial insights into the causes of global stagnation and its effects on the kinds of work we do now. -- Clinton Williamson * The Baffler *

A powerful and persuasive explanation of why capitalism can't create jobs or generate incomes for a majority of humanity. -Mike Davis, author of Set the Night on Fire An excellent, insightful account of the contours of our present labor crisis. Benanav articulately makes the case for a post-scarcity future. -Robert Skidelsky, biographer of John Maynard Keynes A highly quantitative analysis of the nature of contemporary unemployment flowers into something quite different and unexpected: a qualitative argument for the invention of new collective capacities in a world where work is no longer central to social life. -Kristin Ross, author of Communal Luxury A rare book that manages to soberly assess the contemporary landscape while keeping a clear eye on our utopian horizons. This is an important intervention into current discussions around technology and work-and a must-read for anyone who believes capitalist decay is not the only future. -Nick Srnicek, author of Platform Capitalism Benanav dissects and disproves the idea that automation is eradicating work ... We don't need to wait for robots to do all the work; we can collectively decide what we need, then plan the economy to achieve it. -Paris Marx, Passage Thought-provoking ... packs quite a punch of macroeconomics and practical philosophy. -International Policy Digest He can write movingly and do so on a global scale. -Patrick McGinty, Pittsburgh Post Gazette The two parts of Benanav's book-analytic and utopian-correspond to the two halves of the Marxian project: to both interpret the world, and change it. -Lola Seaton, New Statesman Compelling reading. A rising star among the intelligentsia of the left. -Dublin Review of Books

A powerful and persuasive explanation of why capitalism can't create jobs or generate incomes for a majority of humanity. -Mike Davis, author of Set the Night on Fire An excellent, insightful account of the contours of our present labor crisis. Benanav articulately makes the case for a post-scarcity future. -Robert Skidelsky, biographer of John Maynard Keynes A highly quantitative analysis of the nature of contemporary unemployment flowers into something quite different and unexpected: a qualitative argument for the invention of new collective capacities in a world where work is no longer central to social life. -Kristin Ross, author of Communal Luxury A rare book that manages to soberly assess the contemporary landscape while keeping a clear eye on our utopian horizons. This is an important intervention into current discussions around technology and work-and a must-read for anyone who believes capitalist decay is not the only future. -Nick Srnicek, author of Platform Capitalism Benanav dissects and disproves the idea that automation is eradicating work ... We don't need to wait for robots to do all the work; we can collectively decide what we need, then plan the economy to achieve it. -Paris Marx, Passage Thought-provoking ... packs quite a punch of macroeconomics and practical philosophy. -International Policy Digest He can write movingly and do so on a global scale. -Patrick McGinty, Pittsburgh Post Gazette The two parts of Benanav's book-analytic and utopian-correspond to the two halves of the Marxian project: to both interpret the world, and change it. -Lola Seaton, New Statesman Compelling reading. A rising star among the intelligentsia of the left. -Dublin Review of Books A powerful critique ... [Benanav] carefully chart[s] how our economic system is unable to deliver further social progress and ... set[s] out a believable vision of a non-capitalist future. -Alexis Moraitis, ROAR Crucial ... Automation and the Future of Work is impressively multifaceted for such a short text ... an excellent book. -Mack Penner, Labour / Le Travail Automation and the Future of Work gathers significant cold water to pour on automation's fever dreams. -Amelia Horgan, Radical Philosophy

Author Information

Aaron Benanav is a Researcher at Humboldt University of Berlin. He previously taught at the University of Chicago and has written for the Guardian and New Left Review.

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