These plain facts provide ample argument that basic income will be a pragmatic necessity to avoid mass poverty following mass automation, but here I would like to make an argument that is equally important as such practical considerations.  Freedom in the 21st century should mean freedom from having to engage in productive work simply to meet your basic needs for comfort and dignity.  At one time, the ready availability of jobs amply filled the need for a basic access to a comfortable and dignified life, but precipitous technological and economic changes erode this dynamic further each day. The function of the economy has never been to provide gainful employment to people, but simply to provide material goods to people.

Basic Income Means Basic Freedom | Thought Infection Sunday, December 15, 2013 @ 10:40pm