@ianburnette @zachweinersmith.bsky.social
If I'm taking the more aggressive approach to the definition it seems to me that we find quite a lot of bullshit actually
@ianburnette @zachweinersmith.bsky.social
Hmm yes. I feel like there is some subjectivity there as well? Like if I'm working in R&D on some aspect of the sound system of a car, would feel like bullshit to me, but a liberal view would be that it satisfies some needs and therefore it's good i think. Or i remember someone telling me that they are working on replacing sugar with some other chemical in food bc it sells better, but it's not healthier actually. Bullshit?
I'd agree that there is probably a limit to quantity of consumption, BUT not really for quality. Take the cars. We may not wanna have 5 cars, but i can imagine the cars getting much much cooler still, like autonomous, flying, etc etc
I don't see how that means it isn't bullshit busywork? I understand Graeber the way that overall output would be at least the same if not better, if those 40% didn't do what they do. So we would still live equally good and substantially better than during subsistence farming and it is indeed bullshit busywork
Interesting! That one is on my to read list. Can you think of an argument on that point? Oligopoly, like another commenter suggested? To me that could explain part of it but many markets are certainly not oligopoles