I like the idea of keeping the Sabbath, but what if we inverted the ratio of rest days to working days? What if, instead of six days of work with one of rest, people only had to work one day a...
I like the idea of keeping the Sabbath, but what if we inverted the ratio of rest days to working days? What if, instead of six days of work with one of rest, people only had to work one day a week to earn a living? Granted, we couldn't have everybody working on the same day, but suppose you had six days out of every seven to rest, exercise, talk to people, take care of your family, etc?
Oh god, I can only get so erect. I think we should start a little lower by aiming to abolish the five-day-workweek in general before we fantasize about a world where we barely have to work at...
Oh god, I can only get so erect.
I think we should start a little lower by aiming to abolish the five-day-workweek in general before we fantasize about a world where we barely have to work at all... but that would eventually be the goal!
Let's settle for the weekend off (for reals) and also one extra day a week, should be Wednesday for most people with a Tues/Thurs floater depending on industry and schedules. Can't have everything...
Let's settle for the weekend off (for reals) and also one extra day a week, should be Wednesday for most people with a Tues/Thurs floater depending on industry and schedules. Can't have everything closed during the week, need some flexibility. A 32 hour work week is a good first step.
There's a lot to be said for a 3-day weekend. It's a definite lifestyle change if you get 3 consecutive days off every week. It feels more like a rest than having a day off in the middle of the...
There's a lot to be said for a 3-day weekend. It's a definite lifestyle change if you get 3 consecutive days off every week. It feels more like a rest than having a day off in the middle of the week.
To avoid having things closed during the week, we give people the choice of which 3 days they want off, and try to spread the schedules around. Some people might be happy to work Thursday to Sunday, and take Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off.
I think 1 working day per week might be a tad extreme, but we could certainly move to a 4-day working week. I'm not talking about the 4 x 10-hour days that everyone seems to love whenever this...
I think 1 working day per week might be a tad extreme, but we could certainly move to a 4-day working week. I'm not talking about the 4 x 10-hour days that everyone seems to love whenever this topic comes up, where people do the same amount of work as now but cram it into fewer days. I'm talking about an actual reduction of the working week, to 4 x 8-hour days.
With increasing automation, we don't need to pretend that every person needs to work for 40 hours per week to keep our society running. We could keep things running just as well with 32 hours' work from everyone each week. It would give unemployed and underemployed people the option to increase their work, and thereby increase their wages, and reduce poverty. It would reduce overwork and stress in full-time workers. It would give everyone a 3-day weekend.
Then we could consider whether to move to a 3-day working week.
This reminds me of this article from the other day: Richard Branson believes the key to success is a three-day workweek. With today's cutting-edge technology, he believes there is no reason people...
Then we could consider whether to move to a 3-day working week.
This reminds me of this article from the other day:
Wow. Talk about a misleading headline! He barely mentions a 3-day working week; it's only referred to in a single remark that "Many people out there would love three-day or even four-day...
Wow. Talk about a misleading headline! He barely mentions a 3-day working week; it's only referred to in a single remark that "Many people out there would love three-day or even four-day weekends." However, that one throwaway line suddenly becomes the headline. And he never says that these longer weekends are the key to success.
However, he's right that giving people more flexibility about where and how they work is a good thing.
(linking the reddit thread because there's some interesting anecdotes and discussion within)
And the top comment is a joke about using Reddit a lot... :(
Yeah, there's not too much that can be done about clickbait tactics. But I thought it was interesting that a billionaire was advocating for flexibility. I had no idea that Virgin had an unlimited...
Yeah, there's not too much that can be done about clickbait tactics. But I thought it was interesting that a billionaire was advocating for flexibility. I had no idea that Virgin had an unlimited leave policy. I hope this kind of attitude catches on, things will get very uncomfortable if it doesn't.
re: top comment— I really love r/futurology, but I hate that it's a default sub. Once any given thread blows up the quality per comment has a tendency to go down drastically.
Here's another post, this one about a 4-day workweek:
My little sister keeps the Sabbath on most weekends. Sometimes she has a lot she needs to get done and skips it, but she observes it like nine times out of ten. It oddly seems both liberating and...
My little sister keeps the Sabbath on most weekends. Sometimes she has a lot she needs to get done and skips it, but she observes it like nine times out of ten. It oddly seems both liberating and a bit of a nuisance.
The concept of the Sabbath requires societal rather than individual buy-in. The Biblical citation is kind of extreme (in that they kill a guy for picking up sticks), but the basic point is that...
The concept of the Sabbath requires societal rather than individual buy-in. The Biblical citation is kind of extreme (in that they kill a guy for picking up sticks), but the basic point is that it's something you need to police and enforce on people. It's different from just you as an individual having a day off, but rather everyone has the day off. You can't use the day to go do your groceries, some other errand, take the kids to a museum, or anything that requires someone else to be working. At the extreme, you need to introduce some sort of penalty for people who "sneak in" some work on that day, or else they'll accumulate an economic advantage over the people who observe the Sabbath.
I find the Sabbath feature of ovens to be absolutely fascinating. Here is a group of people going to great lengths to circumvent a law that they made up and are imposing on themselves and their...
You can't use the day to go do your groceries, some other errand, take the kids to a museum, or anything that requires someone else to be working. At the extreme, you need to introduce some sort of penalty for people who "sneak in" some work on that day, or else they'll accumulate an economic advantage over the people who observe the Sabbath.
I find the Sabbath feature of ovens to be absolutely fascinating. Here is a group of people going to great lengths to circumvent a law that they made up and are imposing on themselves and their neighbors. And here are companies not only catering to the practice but using it as a feature to compete with one-another. It's an interesting intersection of religion and commercialism with a solid dose of absurdity.
From Wikipedia:
Sabbath mode, also known as Shabbos mode (Ashkenazi pronunciation) or Shabbat mode, is a feature in many modern home appliances, including ovens[1] and refrigerators,[2] which is intended to allow the appliances to be used (subject to various constraints) by Shabbat-observant Jews on the Shabbat and Jewish holidays. The mode usually overrides the usual, everyday operation of the electrical appliance and makes the operation of the appliance comply with the rules of Halakha (Jewish law).
Of course, there's also the practical difficulty of deciding which Sabbath to observe. The Jews observe their Sabbath from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. To differentiate themselves from...
Of course, there's also the practical difficulty of deciding which Sabbath to observe. The Jews observe their Sabbath from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. To differentiate themselves from Judaism, the Christians moved their day of rest from Saturday to Sunday, which they called the Lord's Day. Then the Muslims have their holy day on Friday.
However, it would probably work better if everyone had a different "sabbath". Everyone chooses their own preferred day(s) off every week. One person might choose Saturdays, another person might choose Tuesdays, and so on. As long as everyone gets their guaranteed day(s) off every week, those days off can be spread out. It depends on whether the aim is to ensure that everyone has guaranteed time off work, or to shut down the whole of society for a day.
Oh that's a great point! There's a big difference between those two aims. Shutting down society for a day would have it's own benefits and draw backs wouldn't it? That's a far-out idea here in the...
It depends on whether the aim is to ensure that everyone has guaranteed time off work, or to shut down the whole of society for a day.
Oh that's a great point! There's a big difference between those two aims. Shutting down society for a day would have it's own benefits and draw backs wouldn't it? That's a far-out idea here in the States but fairly common place already in Europe and many non-European companies as well, isn't it? I think I'd really relish that...
Personally, I'm more in favour of ensuring that everyone has guaranteed time off work, rather than shutting down the whole of society for a day. I'm selfish: I want to enjoy certain recreational...
Personally, I'm more in favour of ensuring that everyone has guaranteed time off work, rather than shutting down the whole of society for a day. I'm selfish: I want to enjoy certain recreational activities on my days off which involve other people working, such as dining at restaurants and going to theatre. I wouldn't be able to do these things on my day off if noone could work on that day. So, I'm happy for us all to have different days off.
I am very sympathetic to this argument. I guess as long as people really were able to choose I'd be down. In the UK people constantly bitch about reduced trading hours on Sundays, however, it does...
I am very sympathetic to this argument. I guess as long as people really were able to choose I'd be down.
In the UK people constantly bitch about reduced trading hours on Sundays, however, it does mean that Sunday has become the de facto day for gathering in a country that is essentially secular (albeit with a Christian past). I'd be fine with moving the day, but having at least part of one day with restricted commercial activity does allow things like sports, bbqs or whatever to be much more likely to occur.
I like the idea of keeping the Sabbath, but what if we inverted the ratio of rest days to working days? What if, instead of six days of work with one of rest, people only had to work one day a week to earn a living? Granted, we couldn't have everybody working on the same day, but suppose you had six days out of every seven to rest, exercise, talk to people, take care of your family, etc?
That might work if we had some form of Universal Basic Income.
Oh god, I can only get so erect.
I think we should start a little lower by aiming to abolish the five-day-workweek in general before we fantasize about a world where we barely have to work at all... but that would eventually be the goal!
Let's settle for the weekend off (for reals) and also one extra day a week, should be Wednesday for most people with a Tues/Thurs floater depending on industry and schedules. Can't have everything closed during the week, need some flexibility. A 32 hour work week is a good first step.
There's a lot to be said for a 3-day weekend. It's a definite lifestyle change if you get 3 consecutive days off every week. It feels more like a rest than having a day off in the middle of the week.
To avoid having things closed during the week, we give people the choice of which 3 days they want off, and try to spread the schedules around. Some people might be happy to work Thursday to Sunday, and take Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off.
I think 1 working day per week might be a tad extreme, but we could certainly move to a 4-day working week. I'm not talking about the 4 x 10-hour days that everyone seems to love whenever this topic comes up, where people do the same amount of work as now but cram it into fewer days. I'm talking about an actual reduction of the working week, to 4 x 8-hour days.
With increasing automation, we don't need to pretend that every person needs to work for 40 hours per week to keep our society running. We could keep things running just as well with 32 hours' work from everyone each week. It would give unemployed and underemployed people the option to increase their work, and thereby increase their wages, and reduce poverty. It would reduce overwork and stress in full-time workers. It would give everyone a 3-day weekend.
Then we could consider whether to move to a 3-day working week.
This reminds me of this article from the other day:
Richard Branson believes the key to success is a three-day workweek. With today's cutting-edge technology, he believes there is no reason people can't work less hours and be equally — if not more — effective.
(linking the reddit thread because there's some interesting anecdotes and discussion within)
Wow. Talk about a misleading headline! He barely mentions a 3-day working week; it's only referred to in a single remark that "Many people out there would love three-day or even four-day weekends." However, that one throwaway line suddenly becomes the headline. And he never says that these longer weekends are the key to success.
However, he's right that giving people more flexibility about where and how they work is a good thing.
And the top comment is a joke about using Reddit a lot... :(
Yeah, there's not too much that can be done about clickbait tactics. But I thought it was interesting that a billionaire was advocating for flexibility. I had no idea that Virgin had an unlimited leave policy. I hope this kind of attitude catches on, things will get very uncomfortable if it doesn't.
re: top comment— I really love r/futurology, but I hate that it's a default sub. Once any given thread blows up the quality per comment has a tendency to go down drastically.
Here's another post, this one about a 4-day workweek:
Why the 4-day workweek might be closer than you think: A New Zealand company dubbed its two-month trial of a four-day week a resounding success, making it a permanent fixture, and a school district in Colorado cut Mondays from its timetables in a bid to attract staff and cut costs.
I've been noticing more discourse regarding shorter work weeks later, and I'm choosing to interpret that in a positive way.
My little sister keeps the Sabbath on most weekends. Sometimes she has a lot she needs to get done and skips it, but she observes it like nine times out of ten. It oddly seems both liberating and a bit of a nuisance.
Numbers 15:32-36 explains the sort of radical act necessary for this sort of societal change, and why it should never happen.
what do you mean
The concept of the Sabbath requires societal rather than individual buy-in. The Biblical citation is kind of extreme (in that they kill a guy for picking up sticks), but the basic point is that it's something you need to police and enforce on people. It's different from just you as an individual having a day off, but rather everyone has the day off. You can't use the day to go do your groceries, some other errand, take the kids to a museum, or anything that requires someone else to be working. At the extreme, you need to introduce some sort of penalty for people who "sneak in" some work on that day, or else they'll accumulate an economic advantage over the people who observe the Sabbath.
I find the Sabbath feature of ovens to be absolutely fascinating. Here is a group of people going to great lengths to circumvent a law that they made up and are imposing on themselves and their neighbors. And here are companies not only catering to the practice but using it as a feature to compete with one-another. It's an interesting intersection of religion and commercialism with a solid dose of absurdity.
From Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbath_mode
From GE:
https://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-support-search-content?contentId=17357
From Whirlpool:
https://producthelp.whirlpool.com/Troubleshooting_Guides/Troubleshooting_for_Gas_Ranges/Sabbath_Mode
Of course, there's also the practical difficulty of deciding which Sabbath to observe. The Jews observe their Sabbath from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. To differentiate themselves from Judaism, the Christians moved their day of rest from Saturday to Sunday, which they called the Lord's Day. Then the Muslims have their holy day on Friday.
However, it would probably work better if everyone had a different "sabbath". Everyone chooses their own preferred day(s) off every week. One person might choose Saturdays, another person might choose Tuesdays, and so on. As long as everyone gets their guaranteed day(s) off every week, those days off can be spread out. It depends on whether the aim is to ensure that everyone has guaranteed time off work, or to shut down the whole of society for a day.
Oh that's a great point! There's a big difference between those two aims. Shutting down society for a day would have it's own benefits and draw backs wouldn't it? That's a far-out idea here in the States but fairly common place already in Europe and many non-European companies as well, isn't it? I think I'd really relish that...
Personally, I'm more in favour of ensuring that everyone has guaranteed time off work, rather than shutting down the whole of society for a day. I'm selfish: I want to enjoy certain recreational activities on my days off which involve other people working, such as dining at restaurants and going to theatre. I wouldn't be able to do these things on my day off if noone could work on that day. So, I'm happy for us all to have different days off.
Oh yes, of course that's much better. I just hadn't really considered the alternative.
I am very sympathetic to this argument. I guess as long as people really were able to choose I'd be down.
In the UK people constantly bitch about reduced trading hours on Sundays, however, it does mean that Sunday has become the de facto day for gathering in a country that is essentially secular (albeit with a Christian past). I'd be fine with moving the day, but having at least part of one day with restricted commercial activity does allow things like sports, bbqs or whatever to be much more likely to occur.