A dog will pursue rabbits to the point of complete exhaustion and be happy all the time, but if you put the dog on a treadmill and gave him a good dinner after half an hour, he would not be happy till he got the dinner, because he would not have been engaged in a natural activity meanwhile. One of the difficulties of our time is that, in a complex modern society, few of the things that have to be done have the naturalness of hunting.
Source： Bertrand Russell: The road to happiness (1952)
More info.：https://russell-j.com/beginner/1952_RtoH-040.HTM
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It used to be said that in the future, unpleasant work would be left to robots while humans would focus on creative tasks. However, as AI has rapidly advanced, that rosy vision of the future has started to fade. Complex jobs such as those of lawyers or general practitioners are actually better handled by AI than by humans, and as AI and robotics continue to develop, it is expected that the number of creative tasks left for humans will significantly decrease.
Some people argue that if that’s the case, we should just let AI and robots take care of the work, and enjoy our lives doing things we like, such as entertainment or sports. But it’s hard to be optimistic, given the challenges of climate change, food shortages, and other global issues. Medical technology is expected to advance further, leading to a sharp increase in people living longer, but with longevity will come new problems as well.
Animals (like dogs) don’t worry about abstract matters, but even people who are wealthy and physically healthy often suffer from mental anguish. In the past, the afterlife was depicted as a kind of paradise, but nowadays very few people think that way. If we use the expression “troubles at home and abroad” metaphorically, it seems that our worries don’t end with life?they may continue even after death. Well, of course, in reality, once you're dead you can’t worry anymore?but for those who believe in an afterlife, even death can be a source of concern. (laughs)
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