Utopia for Realists

Why are billions struggling or dissatisfied in this era of unprecedented wealth and technological progress? Let's rediscover the art of dreaming big and imagine a better world.

1: The Paradox of Dissatisfaction in an Era of Plenty

For most of history, humans lived in harsh conditions, with poverty, scarcity, and insecurity dominating everyday life. Yet, modern advancements in technology and economy have transformed daily existence into something many historical societies would have considered utopian. Despite this, dissatisfaction lingers.

Globally, breakthroughs like declining homicide rates, eradicated diseases like smallpox, and inventions like robotic prosthetics define our age. Life expectancy rises, yet people report feeling unfulfilled, focused more on consumption than on creating meaningful progress in life quality.

Perhaps our inability to feel content stems from failing to imagine the possibilities of further improvements. Instead of accepting dissatisfaction as inevitable, Bregman challenges society to reexamine what progress means in a time of relative material abundance.

Examples

• In the African continent, life expectancy is growing by four days every week.
• Obesity now surpasses hunger globally, highlighting how far basic needs have been addressed.
• Innovations like the Argus II implant for the blind defy historical limits of human capabilities.

2: Unconditional Cash is Transformative

Giving money with no strings attached might seem risky, but evidence shows it is one of the most effective ways to eradicate poverty. People living in poverty often know best how to meet their immediate needs.

Organizations like GiveDirectly prove that direct cash payments can have a transformative effect. Bernard Omondi, a stone quarry laborer in Kenya, invested a $500 cash grant to buy a motorcycle, tripling his income. Studies from MIT and around the world echo these stories, showing how cash drives long-term improvements in income, housing, and education.

Critics often worry that unconditional payments encourage waste or laziness. However, research shows that cash recipients tend to make prudent choices: investing in needs like food, education, and even starting small businesses instead of spending recklessly.

Examples

• A Rwandan cow donation program cost $3,000, far more than direct cash alternatives that lifted more people out of poverty.
• In Liberia, even alcoholics and criminals used $200 handouts responsibly to improve their lives.
• The MIT study of GiveDirectly found permanent boosts in incomes by 38 percent and home ownership by 58 percent.

3: Universal Basic Income Can Foster a Better Future

Universal Basic Income (UBI) is the idea of giving everyone a guaranteed minimum income without work conditions. UBI is tax-funded and aims to provide economic security and freedom.

Bregman shines a light on how feasible this once-radical concept is today. With globalization and automation threatening jobs, governments can significantly improve life by adopting UBI. Research during UBI experiments, including President Nixon's policy considerations, found that work reductions were minimal, and most recipients used their newfound security wisely—pursuing education or caregiving roles.

Though some argue that UBI would be unaffordable, studies suggest otherwise. Eradicating poverty in the U.S. would use less than 1 percent of GDP, far less costly than ongoing wars or bailouts. With the means available, adopting UBI could ensure resilience in the face of economic shifts.

Examples

• Nixon's UBI proposal in the 1970s would have provided $10,000 per year in modern terms.
• U.S. field experiments showed a 33% rise in high school graduation rates tied to receiving UBI payments.
• Demos, a British think-tank, calculated that poverty eradication in America requires $175 billion annually.

4: GDP is an Outdated Yardstick for Progress

Gross Domestic Product (GDP), long used as a measure of success, fails to reflect true societal well-being. GDP tracks goods and services produced but overlooks crucial aspects like equality, happiness, or environmental health.

GDP rises in response to disasters like tsunamis due to reconstruction efforts, creating a paradox where suffering contributes to economic "progress." Meanwhile, free technological benefits like Skype reduce GDP, even as they improve lives. Therefore, GDP often paints an inaccurate picture of success.

Bregman advocates for broader measures that focus on meaningful progress. Metrics could include how much free time people have, environmental stability, and community health. Such indicators would prioritize quality over raw economic numbers.

Examples

• Japan's GDP grew post-2011-tsunami recovery, a perverse example of "progress through misery."
• Bhutan introduced Gross National Happiness, albeit limited by political biases.
• Skype’s free service, reducing telecom costs, paradoxically hurt global GDP assessments.

5: Rethink the Need for Excessive Work Hours

Economist John Maynard Keynes predicted in 1930 that humans would work merely 15 hours a week by 2030 due to rising productivity. While economic growth occurred, shorter workweeks have not followed. Instead, consumption increased.

Bregman makes a case for redistributing work to allow more leisure and better societal balance. Reduced workweeks could reduce stress, decrease workplace injuries, and enable men to share unpaid domestic work, promoting equality. For example, countries with shorter work hours consistently rank highest in gender equality.

A 15-hour workweek would also free up time for pursuits like parenting, education, or hobbies, fundamentally improving quality of life. In harnessing productivity growth meaningfully, we could restore balance to human existence.

Examples

• Henry Ford found a shorter workweek boosted worker productivity and car consumption.
• U.S. surveys show most workers would trade two weeks of salary for equivalent extra vacation time.
• MIT projections show that by 2050 we could work 15 hours while maintaining 2000-level incomes.

6: Society Misplaces Value on Prestigious Jobs

Jobs deemed prestigious often provide less value to society than those considered lowly. Unpaid or underpaid roles often have the largest societal impact, while supposedly glamorous roles contribute comparatively little.

During the 1968 New York sanitation strike, the city quickly descended into chaos without garbage collection. On the other hand, when Irish bank workers struck in 1970, local pubs adapted, and the economy continued functioning. In contrast to waste collection, banking proved surprisingly dispensable.

Bregman advocates rethinking tax systems to default people toward necessary and socially beneficial work, discouraging excessive wealth in careers that do little to advance the public good.

Examples

• America employs 17x as many lawyers per capita as Japan, with no commensurate quality difference.
• Harvard graduates flipped from academia to finance after Reagan tax cuts favored high-income jobs.
• Lobbyists and telemarketers' absence might actively improve society, not harm it.

7: Technological Change is Accelerating Job Losses

The fears of the Luddites—a 19th-century group opposing industrial machines—may no longer be misplaced. Today’s rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and automation put a broad spectrum of jobs at risk.

Unlike 20th-century innovations—like steam engines—modern automation can replace even specialized brainpower. For example, Kodak once employed 145,000 workers, while Instagram succeeded with just 13 employees. The economy now rewards efficiency over labor.

As technology evolves faster than education systems, jobs once requiring human expertise might no longer exist. Tackling this shift may require systems based on creativity, adaptability, and ultimately wealth redistribution.

Examples

• Moore's Law predicts computing power doubling annually, exemplified by chips growing from 30 to 5 billion transistors.
• Instagram, a team of 13, replaced Kodak’s tens of thousands of employees.
• Productivity no longer correlates with increased job creation due to mechanization efficiencies.

8: Redistribution Prevents Growing Inequality

Technological productivity creates immense wealth for small groups while displacing wide swathes of workers. Without redistribution, inequality will rise sharply, leaving vast segments of society sidelined.

The French economist Thomas Piketty proposed a progressive wealth tax as a solution. Redistribution might be the only way to ensure machine-led prosperity doesn’t exclude the majority. Traditionally, education served to help people adapt, but automation may soon outpace its effectiveness entirely.

Rethinking wealth reallocation isn’t just good policy—it’s a societal necessity in the machine age. Without bold action, immense inequality could destabilize economies and exacerbate social rifts.

Examples

• Ray Kurzweil predicts AI will exceed human brains' intelligence by 2029.
• Piketty demonstrated how wealth concentration grows without government redeployment.
• Education improved farmers’ earning power but might not address AI's sweeping impact.

9: Open Borders Could Double Global Wealth

Opening national borders could truly alleviate poverty, creating massive economic growth estimated at $65 trillion. These studies show more impact in open migration than any aid package or trade reform.

Currently, earnings rely overwhelmingly on birthplace. An average Nigerian might earn eight times less than an American for the same skills, placing economic opportunities out of sync with global fairness. Allowing unrestricted movement could distribute wealth far more equitably while boosting overall productivity.

This proposal demands a rethinking of citizenship's role in determining human potential. Historical norms offer hope, as earlier eras hosted freer movement than our current border-centric world.

Examples

• Harvard economist Lant Pritchett suggested open borders generate $65 trillion in global growth.
• Nigerian workers could increase yearly pay by $22,000 under border-free systems.
• Before WWI, passports were rare, and open borders were the global norm.

Takeaways

1. Advocate for local trials of Universal Basic Income to test its feasibility in your region.
2. Prioritize work-life balance, asking for more family time or reduced hours instead of salary hikes.
3. Support open and inclusive immigration policies to maximize global fairness and shared wealth.