We have this extraordinary fixation with work

我們對工作有一種非同尋常的執著

and yet with every technological revolution we've had,

然而，隨著我們的每一次技術革命。

more people have gone out of work,

更多的人失去了工作。

and we've been very resourceful

而且我們一直很有辦法

and very creative in terms of creating jobs

而且在創造就業方面非常有創意

and things for them to do.

以及他們要做的事情。

Most of us work in this great amorphous blob of a thing

我們中的大多數人都在這個巨大的無定形的東西中工作

called the services sector.

稱為服務部門。

Within that services sector space,

在這個服務部門的空間內。

there's an awful lot of work

有很多工作要做

which I think is work we've simply created

我認為這是我們簡單創造的工作。

because we feel that humans cannot live

因為我們覺得人類不可能生活在

without organized work,

沒有組織的工作。

and also 'cause we organize our societies on that basis.

而且還因為我們在此基礎上組織我們的社會。

Certainly now in these societies based on fossil fuels

當然，現在在這些基於化石燃料的社會里

and ever more productive machines,

和越來越多的生產性機器。

there actually isn't a lot of very good work

實際上並沒有很多非常好的作品

for everybody to do, yet we insist on full employment,

每個人都要做，但我們卻堅持要充分就業。

and it is a product of the fact that we are doing work

而這是我們在做工作的事實的產物

just for work's sake.

只是為了工作的緣故。

And these jobs are fundamentally, in many senses, bullshit.

而這些工作從根本上說，在許多意義上都是廢話。

Ever since people first worked out

自從人們開始鍛鍊身體以來

how to convert energy stored in fossil fuels into work,

如何將儲存在化石燃料中的能量轉化為工作。

putting it through machines

把它放在機器裡

that translate that steam into turning engines and turbines,

將蒸汽轉化為發動機和渦輪機的動力。

they have imagined a world in which technology,

他們想象了一個技術的世界。

in which external energy use spares us from future labor.

其中，外部能源的使用使我們免於未來的勞動。

From Benjamin Franklin all the way through

從本傑明-富蘭克林一路走來

to the early 20th century,

到20世紀初。

thinkers and dreamers alike all articulated visions

思想家和夢想家們都闡述了願景

of this kind of post-work world,

的這種工作後的世界。

but nobody did this better than John Maynard Keynes.

但沒有人比約翰-梅納德-凱恩斯在這方面做得更好。

He was, of course, the man who transformed economics.

當然，他是改變經濟學的人。

And in 1930, John Maynard Keynes wrote an essay

而在1930年，約翰-梅納德-凱恩斯寫了一篇文章

called the "Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren".

稱為 "我們孫子的經濟可能性"。

And in that essay, he decided to take wings into the future,

而在那篇論文中，他決定為未來插上翅膀。

to go out of miseries of this depression

走出這蕭條的苦難

that everybody was enduring

每個人都在忍受

and imagine what the economic world would look like

並想象經濟世界會是什麼樣子

100 years in the future.

100年後的未來。

In this essay, he famously predicted that by 2030,

在這篇文章中，他著名地預言，到2030年。

by more or less now,

現在或多或少都有了。

we'd be working no more than 15 hours in a week.

我們一週的工作時間不超過15小時。

Why would we do this?

我們為什麼要這樣做呢？

He said that based on calculations of productivity

他說，根據生產力的計算結果

and capital growth and technological advancements,

和資本增長以及技術進步。

he believed that we would have come to an economic utopia,

他認為，我們將來到一個經濟烏托邦。

where everybody's basic needs would be very easily met.

在那裡，每個人的基本需求都會非常容易得到滿足。

Now, interestingly enough, we passed the thresholds

現在，有趣的是，我們通過了閾值

that Keynes identified

凱恩斯確定的

and thought would only reach about now.

並認為只有現在才會達到。

We passed those thresholds in 1980,

我們在1980年通過了這些門檻。

yet still, interestingly enough,

然而，有趣的是，仍然。

we continue to work pretty much the same number of hours

我們繼續工作的時間基本相同

that people did back in 1930 when Keynes was alive.

人們在凱恩斯在世的1930年所做的。

Now if you ask them economist why do we work,

現在如果你問他們經濟學家，我們為什麼要工作。

they will say, "Ah, it is to solve the economic problem."

他們會說："啊，這是為了解決經濟問題。"

What is the economic problem?

經濟問題是什麼？

They will say, "The economic problem

他們會說，"經濟問題

is the problem of scarcity."

是稀缺性的問題。"

And then you'll say, "Well what the hell

然後你會說，"好吧，那是什麼？

is the problem of scarcity?"

是匱乏的問題？"

And they'll say, "The problem of scarcity is this-

他們會說，"稀缺性的問題是這樣的---

it is simple."

這很簡單。"

In the olden days, when we were hunters and gatherers,

在過去的日子裡，當我們是獵人和採集者。

we endured this horrendous struggle for survival

我們忍受著這場可怕的生存鬥爭

in an eat-or-be-eaten world,

在一個不食人間煙火的世界裡。

and the transition to farming,

以及向農業的過渡。

of course, changed everything.

當然，這改變了一切。

The societies that developed agriculture

發展農業的社會

became considerably more productive than the societies

變得比社會的生產力高得多

that were still living a life of foraging.

他們仍然過著覓食的生活。

And as a result of that, we evolved,

而作為其結果，我們進化了。

we became hardwired to have this infinite need.

我們成為有這種無限需求的硬性規定。

Having enough food today was simply a trigger

今天有足夠的食物只是一個觸發因素

to worry about having more for tomorrow,

擔心明天會有更多的錢。

so we became accumulators, surplus creators.

所以我們成為積累者，剩餘的創造者。

In other words, because it was evolutionary advantageous,

換句話說，因為這在進化上是有利的。

we developed infinite needs.

我們發展了無限的需求。

There's no debating the fact

無可爭辯的事實是

that this extraordinary work ethic

這種非凡的工作精神

that was instilled into us

被灌輸給我們的

has brought us unbelievable benefits.

已經給我們帶來了令人難以置信的好處。

We're now at a point in human history

我們現在處於人類歷史上的一個節點

where we have an economy where we are so productive,

我們有一個經濟的地方，我們的生產力如此之高。

we've conquered scarcity.

我們已經征服了稀缺性。

More food goes into landfill than in our bellies every year.

每年進入垃圾填埋場的食物比我們肚子裡的還多。

We are living in an era of untold affluence,

我們生活在一個難以言喻的富足時代。

yet very strangely we continue to organize our economies

然而非常奇怪的是，我們繼續組織我們的經濟

as if we're farmers risking going hungry.

彷彿我們是冒著捱餓風險的農民。

So is it a question of culture?

那麼，這是不是一個文化問題？

Is the reason that we continue to work as we do

是我們繼續工作的原因

simply because we've hung onto culture,

只是因為我們堅持了文化。

and we've all bound into these different institutions?

而我們都被束縛在這些不同的機構中？

When Keynes predicted the economic utopia that he imagined,

當凱恩斯預測了他所想象的經濟烏托邦。

he argued that there was only one real obstacle

他認為，真正的障礙只有一個

to achieving that,

以實現這一目標。

and he described that as our instinct to work,

而且他把這描述為我們工作的本能。

our instinct that had been forged at the fires of evolution.

我們的本能是在進化之火中鍛造出來的。

But there's a real concern that the very medicine

但有一個真正的擔憂是，非常的藥品

that brought us this extraordinary prosperity is now likely

給我們帶來這種非同尋常的繁榮，現在可能是

to make the patient sick.

以使病人生病。

It could well be that Keynes would look at us now

很可能凱恩斯現在會看著我們

and say, "Take it easy, chaps."

並說："別緊張，夥計們。"

This is part of the process towards change.

這是走向變革過程的一部分。

So we have these vast convoluted processes

是以，我們有這些龐大而複雜的過程

of people doing bullshit jobs of incredible complexity,

的人做著令人難以置信的複雜的狗屁工作。

but for no apparent purpose.

但沒有明顯的目的。

There is a definite appetite

有一個明確的胃口

for doing things differently, for experimenting.

以不同的方式做事，進行實驗。

Suddenly now in the United States,

現在突然在美國。

only 50% of people polled are interested

只有50%的受訪者感興趣

in something like universal basic income,

在類似全民基本收入的東西。

and recognize that there is a certain hollowness

並認識到有某種空虛感

to the narrative behind the American dream

對美國夢背後的敘述

quite simply because the economy is not organized

很簡單，因為經濟沒有被組織起來

in those terms anymore.

在這些條件下了。

If everybody's basic needs are met,

如果每個人的基本需求得到滿足。

which was the Keynesian dream

這就是凱恩斯主義的夢想

in terms of his economic utopia,

在他的經濟烏托邦方面。

how might that affect our behavior in other ways?

這可能會對我們在其他方面的行為產生什麼影響？

As we all learnt in lockdown in our confinement,

正如我們都在禁閉室裡學到的那樣。

we became an amateur artist, we became amateur cooks,

我們成為一個業餘藝術家，我們成為業餘廚師。

we became amateur bakers.

我們成為業餘麵包師。

We are a species that likes to do work,

我們是一個喜歡做工作的物種。

and I can imagine a world

我可以想象一個世界

where we might end up all doing the work we love

在那裡，我們可能最終都在做我們喜歡的工作

instead of doing some crappy job that we don't want to do.

而不是做一些我們不願意做的蹩腳工作。

And a world in which everybody did what they want

而在這個世界上，每個人都做他們想做的事

would be a world that is much richer

將是一個更加豐富的世界

and much more productive

和更多的生產力

in the things that actually matter to most people.

在對大多數人真正重要的事情上。

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