I didn’t miss your point, and I did read your first post carefully. Probably more carefully than some reading the comments section on a Medium post really should have.

You definitely did based on your incorrect correction of my use of seeing the handwriting on the wall.

Based on the tone of your response, it just didn’t seem like you were supportive or fully aware of universal basic income. I can’t really tell where you stand. You seem to be focused on tearing down academics, which I don’t entirely understand.

I get that people with a more academic background/education have a better chance to get a new job if they lose their current job to automation (or really any other reason). I also know that academic types can seem snobby (or at least act that way), but what’s the deal?

Now you’re just projecting or something. I’ve got nothing against academics. I do have something against academics who casually dismiss automation as no big deal when it comes to job loss, which is what Ryan Avent did.

Also, I brought up basic income partially because I find that it is hard to engage people in a real conversation about it. Either they already know about it, and act like it is old news (kind of like you just did). Or they just think it would work, because they are too closely tied to the concept of work being the derivation of a person’s self worth.

I find both of these responses unsatisfying. Instead, I would rather discuss the details of how it could work. I don’t think that simply giving people money to spend on anything would work in the long run, which is why I wrote out a proposal that I think could work in the real world.

I linked to another piece I wrote that is all about automation and basic income. Regarding your opinion that giving people money wouldn’t work in the long run, I have no reason to believe that. I, personally, would rather receive cash than something with conditions, like a voucher or gift certificate, and I imagine I’m not alone in that. I realize my personal preference is not a scientific basis for structuring a wealth redistribution system, but I would need actual evidence that handing out cash is contrary to public well-being before I accept that notion.