Human Nature = Nature of Work

in #life8 years ago (edited)

Human nature is never fixed. It is very much a product of thought. Personally, I believe that it can be designed as well. Unlike material technologies, social technologies are far more persistent in influencing individuals and nations. iPhones may one day disappear just like rotary dial phones, but ideas? Ideas can live on forever.

Is Adam Smith's idea of human nature just a belief or is it grounded in reality? Unpopular opinion, but I'm actually a non-believer and know that things can be entirely different. We are the "unfinished animals", afterall. Different platforms / set-of-tools will inspire different kinds of human behaviour.

If you think the world rewards selfishness far too much, what about designing something that rewards selflessness? To add to the discussion, here's a great talk by Barry Schwartz on "The Way We Think about Work Is Broken".


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Work, money, society.
Today, you can choose which money you want to build which society you want.

If you think the world rewards selfishness far too much, what about designing something that rewards selflessness?

The world does not reward selfishness, the selfishness rewards the selfish ;) However, it might seems that the world roots for the selfish because they, being very narrow target of reward, they seem to be getting more than the selfless, whose reward is shared between... whomever they want. Reward is redistributed. Like by a good charity. How about designing something where redistribution (flow) is the reward?

Like by a good charity. How about designing something where redistribution (flow) is the reward?

Sounds good, any examples of such an activity? I think u might mean distribution instead (not re-distribution)

Distribution, yep, that's more what I meant. Examples going towards "new designs", which might not be new, but they are rather scarce comparing to the usual model of "owner/shareholders get most of the profit" would be cooperatives, where people get and work together and distribute profits equally. Or reasonably proportionally at least, where "reasonably" means just that, not "owner gets $90, 9 workers get $1 each". Next step would be, for the profits, to go directly to... all. I'm going to write a post about it one day, it requires much more explanation, so it doesn't sound so communist ;) The main point being that all humans are shareholders of the sum of our endeavors.

Here is an idea-
I can live without work (as equated to reward) but I must have activity (as equated to purpose.)

Yup, maybe a better word for "work" would be "sustainable activities", since money is still a thing.

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