Quote:
Originally Posted by Bri
In the Soviet Union, for all it's faults, scientists in many disciplines were prepared to put in a lot of effort for little to no extra benefits over simpler jobs. There is something about taking part in projects that are larger than one self (space exploration, fundamental sciences, cure for cancer, etc) that would provide an incentive for people to work.
The ancient Greek city states might have come closest to a society where it's citizens were left to pursue other interests, and they didn't really stay in bed all day. Ironically it was built on slave labor, although automation/robots would remove the ethical side of the problem in a future society.
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The key problem I see with your arguments here is that "free time" options have changed and increased drastically over the past few decades. This is especially true if we compare modern day to ancient Greece.
Of course people don't want to "stay in bed" all day. But how about indulging yourself on a wide array of video games, anime shows, TV shows, movies, internet surfing, etc...? In past eras, this wasn't possible. Even for the scientists working in the old USSR, their entertainment options were very limited compared to today. Now there is more entertainment than what you could ever hope to fully consume even if you did nothing but eat, sleep, and consume entertainment.
The life of the layabout was loathed not just because it indicated laziness, but also because it portended quite a bit of boredom. That's not necessarily the case any more.