>My econ classes taught me that increased productivity causes short-term pain for displaced workers, but results in long-term higher standards of living for everyone.
That's ideology, not science. Economists sell ideology instead of science all the time (for one, it helps them tout the "free market" from cushy government or teaching positions).
The outcome described above is not inevitable, like gravity. It depends on who has control of the situation and what the increased productivity is used for.
If the elites owning industry etc can get by by employing far less people, why would they care about huge parts of the population not having a job or living in slums? As long as they get to sell their products to a market (which can even be abroad), they are fine.
That's ideology, not science. Economists sell ideology instead of science all the time (for one, it helps them tout the "free market" from cushy government or teaching positions).
The outcome described above is not inevitable, like gravity. It depends on who has control of the situation and what the increased productivity is used for.
If the elites owning industry etc can get by by employing far less people, why would they care about huge parts of the population not having a job or living in slums? As long as they get to sell their products to a market (which can even be abroad), they are fine.