Rethinking the Luddite Rhymes: A Futuristic Perspective on Live Labor
By Wang Hongzhe
October 16, 2024
The Luddite movement, a historical uprising against industrial mechanization, offers valuable insights for tackling unemployment in the face of technological advancements today. This is particularly relevant inaddressing concerns for vulnerable populations and providing economic support measures.
A recent article in Shanghai Book Review by Ji Qinghai, a researcher at the ShanghaiAcademy of Social Sciences, reviewed Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech by Brian Merchant, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. The review, titled Was the 19th Century Luddite Movement aHistorical Precedent for ‘AI Unemployment’?, argues that the Luddite movement was not simply a manifestation of technophobia, but rather a form of worker resistance against unfair treatment.
While the review highlights the movement’s relevance to contemporaryconcerns, this article delves deeper into the Luddite movement, exploring its significance through the lens of its iconic song, The Luddite’s Song.
The Luddite’s Song: A Call for Freedom and Resistance
Written by the renowned English poet Lord Byron in 1816, The Luddite’s Song is a powerful anthem of worker resistance. Byron, deeply engaged with the Italian revolutionary group Carbonari at the time, was closely following the workers’ struggles in England. In a letter to Thomas Moore, Byron included the song, inquiring about the fate of the textile workers who weredestroying machines.
The song’s lyrics resonate with the plight of the working class:
\u003e “Sons of Freedom, we have bought/Our liberty, and paid for’t dear/We, who fight, but never fought/For a king, or for a peer/But to crush the tyrant’spower/And to make our rights secure.”
The song’s core message is clear: the Luddites were not simply against technology, but against the exploitation and oppression that accompanied its implementation. They saw the machines as tools of the ruling class, used to suppress workers and deny them their rightful share of the fruitsof their labor.
Beyond Technology: A Call for Human Dignity and Control
The Luddite movement, often portrayed as a knee-jerk reaction to technological change, was fundamentally a struggle for human dignity and control over one’s work. The song emphasizes this by framing the struggle as a fight for liberty andagainst tyranny.
The Luddites’ actions were not driven by a fear of technology itself, but by a fear of being dispossessed of their livelihoods and their agency. They saw the machines as a threat to their autonomy and their ability to live a meaningful life through their work.
A Futuristic Perspectiveon Live Labor
The Luddite movement, though rooted in the 19th century, offers a crucial perspective on the future of work in the age of automation. The song’s call for liberty and secure rights remains relevant today, as we grapple with the potential for widespread job displacement due toartificial intelligence and other technological advancements.
The Luddites’ struggle reminds us that technology should not be seen as an end in itself, but as a tool that should serve humanity. It underscores the importance of ensuring that technological advancements are implemented in a way that benefits all, not just a select few.
Conclusion: A Call for Human-Centered Progress
The Luddite movement, far from being a relic of the past, offers a powerful lens through which to view the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. The song’s call for liberty and secure rights resonates with the need for a future where technologyserves humanity, not the other way around.
As we navigate the rapidly changing landscape of work, it is crucial to remember the lessons of the Luddites. Their struggle for human dignity and control over their labor should inspire us to build a future where technological progress is guided by principles of fairness, equity, and humanflourishing.
References:
- Lansdown, Richard. Byron and the Carbonari. History Today, vol. 41, no. 5, 1991, pp. 18-25.
- Merchant, Brian. Blood in the Machine: The Origins ofthe Rebellion Against Big Tech. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2023.
- Ji, Qinghai. Was the 19th Century Luddite Movement a Historical Precedent for ‘AI Unemployment’? Shanghai Book Review, October 2, 2024.
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