The Fragility of Humans
Human workers are remarkably adaptable. We have impressive physical and manual dexterity, acute vision and hearing, and malleable wetware. We have adapted remarkably well to the requirements of a vast array of tasks. Well done. But we are so very fragile.
We learn at a snail’s pace, taking years—decades!—to become professionals. We process rules slowly and have no way to speed that process up without offloading the work to machines. We have personal preferences for some types of work over others and demand to be compensated for performing less desirable jobs. We insist on ethical treatment and respect. We usually only work 8 hours/day and 5 days/week. We take vacations. We’re ruled by unconscious and often counterproductive urges originating from our lizard brains. We age and get sick. We die.
When you look at some animals, you wonder how they survive in the wild. The panda is so clumsy. The tortoise can’t survive being flipped on its back. The butterfly is so fragile. The June bug is completely uncoordinated.
We are a beautiful bird species living on a remote island with no economic predators except each other. But our best and brightest are working hard to bring invasive species of predators to our island.