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Its called Malthusian Economics...
and yep, there is no reason to suggest it cannot happen to populations of humans, given that they remain static (geographically and intellectually) enough to enable it.

To answer your first question about what can be done for those people laid off - at first blush I would say it depends on how mobile they are. Advances in technology generally do not happen at the same rate in all places, granted that may be seen as delaying the inevitable - moving around the country/planet trying to stay one step ahead of the forces of automation - but it is feasible.

The Malthusian analogy is very apt, if your food sources (read: ability to earn income to buy food) is depleted beyond the level necessary to sustain the current population there must be a die-back or a shift of population. Where this analogy falls down on a global level is that it does not account for the ability of humanity to shift the food/population paradigm by creating a whole new source of "food".
Posted by: Dave F_z   Posted on: 03/13/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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MCDonalds is even entering the outsourcing game  JasonL31 | 03/11/05
Automation reduces potential errors.  B.O.F.H. | 03/12/05
I've made this point for years.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 03/12/05
It's not that new  IT_User | 03/13/05
Hmmm, yes and no...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 03/13/05
Its called Malthusian Economics...  Dave F_z | 03/13/05
Or WAR!!! Why create a whole new source when we can  Laff | 03/13/05
Growth industries  Roger Ramjet | 03/14/05
Butt don't all those jobs you listed depend on an economic  Laff | 03/14/05
Interrelationships  Roger Ramjet | 03/14/05
Not true, all of them are declining.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 03/14/05
Here's where I'd direct a youth today  voska | 03/14/05
Sorry but no...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 03/14/05
Rise of the Machines  osreinstall | 03/14/05
And the flip side - people OUGHT to work terrible worthless mind numbing  quietLee | 03/14/05
Were you trying to make a point?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 03/14/05
For the sake of argument....  maxo_z | 03/15/05
er.. .60 ... not 6.00  maxo_z | 03/15/05
In some sense I.T. has been about this  Mark Miller | 03/12/05
I would also like to see a 30 hour work week.  DonnieBoy | 03/13/05
Nope....like IT the future for maintaining automation  Laff | 03/13/05
You know if it ever got to that point  voska | 03/14/05
Seems I remember a story about a man who was working  Laff | 03/13/05
Some jobs but not all  Chad_z | 03/12/05
There is what we hope, and then there is REALITY or what is  Laff | 03/13/05
I heard this same thing when I was a kid  voska | 03/14/05
Even if that is true I do not know if that will remain so.  Laff | 03/14/05
You need to know where the real economy is  voska | 03/14/05
3 to 4 hundred years!?! Seriously?  Laff | 03/14/05
Greed will prevent it  voska | 03/14/05
When all is said and done...I am but a cog iin the machine  Laff | 03/14/05
As long as we're talking some day.  Anton Philidor | 03/14/05
Both are smaller than diminished innovation  MyLord | 03/14/05
Okay what gives.  IT Scion | 03/14/05

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