The 4-Hour Work Week

As I’ve grown older and learned more about the world, my interest in economics and technology has grown, too. I’ve come to sympathize more with an Austrian-economic way of thinking. That is: free markets and diminished government involvement. But reading The Sovereign Individual helped frame that sympathy. The authors postulate that a technology-enabled future will allow humans on earth to better detach from the long-standing convention of being under the thumb of a nation-state. In fact, nation-states, the authors argue, will decline in power as power itself is more decentralized. This, to me, is key to a more peaceful and prosperous future. In addition to the increased power of individuals would be increased independence. This would be facilitated by individuals having more capable tools at their disposal to provide value back to the world. We’re seeing this right now with the rapid pace of technological development. We no longer have switchboard operators. We have cellphones that allow us to connect to anyone on the planet in seconds. We no longer need humans to handle specific mundane tasks, we have GPTs that can do that 24/7. These developments empower individuals to increase their ability to gain wealth as they harness more “work power” they can offer to other individuals and companies. Would not recommend if you are a Keynesian or Federalist.

‍