Page 17 - Michael 2024 May

meet the needs of all men, and must be at the dis- needs is already accomplished by fewer workers than
posal of all of them, as justice and charity require. ever before, then the economy will have no choice but
“Every man indeed, as a reason-gifted being, has, to create useless new jobs and cultivate pseudo needs,
from nature, the fundamental right to make use of so that people will have jobs to purchase unnecessary
the material goods of the earth, though it is reserved products. This is today’s ‘consumer society’.
to human will and the juridical forms of the peoples Additionally, goods will be made to function for
to regulate, with more detail, the practical realization a short time only. This is so that more goods will be
of that right. manufactured and sold, and more money made. Such
“Such an individual right cannot, by any means, be planned obsolescence leads to a waste of natural re-
suppressed, even by the exercise of other unquestion- sources, and a degradation of the environment.
able and recognized rights over natural goods.” Workers are performing repetitive tasks that ma-
Pope Pius XII clarified that it was up to nations, chines can perform. In such monotonous work, cre-
through their laws and regulations, to choose the ative potential is stifled and personal development
methods that would allow each person to exercise crushed. Work which offers no creative side, and which
their right to a share of the resources of the earth. The can be completed by machines, is dehumanizing and is
Social Credit dividend would achieve this objective. a sad prerequisite for acquiring money, which is truly
No formula proposed to date is as effective, not even the ‘permit to live’.
the generous social security schemes provided by Freely chosen activities
most western nations. Expecting men and women to dedicate most of
As the productive system can ensure the flow of their time providing for their material needs is rooted
goods, regardless of the input of workers, then too in materialism. It denies the spiritual dimension of the
should the financial system distribute purchasing human person. If we are not kept busy with paid work,
power by some means other than wages and salaries. what will we do with our free time? We can spend our
The replacement of men by machines in produc- time on activities that are freely chosen that develop
tion is a positive development. If society provided an our God-given interests and creative talents.
alternative source of purchasing power, such as the Moreover, it is during leisure that men and women
social dividend, material worries would end. More can attend to their religious, social, and family duties,
time to attend to other duties and interests beyond such as raising children, practizing their faith and help-
economics would enhance personal and social de- ing their neighbour. Raising children is surely the most
velopment. Indeed, the current financial system leads important job in the world, yet the mother who stays at
to privation. home raising children receives no salary and is viewed
Technology should benefit every man in society as unemployed and idle.

Is technology evil? Should we destroy technology With leisure, individuals will be able to participate
for taking our jobs? No, it is good that mechanization in activities that appeal to them. We can imagine that
under a Social Credit system, there would be an ex-
takes over routine and monotonous work, and thus al- plosion of creative activity. Indeed, the greatest inven-
lows men and women to invest their leisure time in tions and works of art have been created during times
freely chosen activities. This is as long as an income of leisure. Douglas remarked:
of sorts is provided to replace the salary lost when the
machine takes over workers’ jobs. Without another “Most people prefer to be employed, but on
source of broadly available purchasing power, how- things they like rather than on the things they don’t
ever, the machine is an enemy, not an ally. like to be employed upon. The proposals of Social
In the beginning stages of industrialization, in Credit are in no sense intended to produce a nation
of idlers... Social Credit would allow people to allo-
the 19th century, men were responsible for 20% of cate themselves to those jobs to which they are suit-
production, animals 50%, and the use of machines ed. A job you do well is a job you like, and a job you
accounted for 30% of production. By 1900, men were like is a job you do well.” v
responsible for only 15% of outputs, animals 30%
and machines 55%. By 1950, the figures had shifted Alain Pilote
significantly. Machines were responsible for 94% of
production, and workers the remaining 6%. (Animals
were finally liberated!) And we haven’t seen any- Make sure MICHAEL moves when you move.
thing yet, since we are now entering the age of com- If you are a subscriber and have moved,
puters and robotisation... or plan to move, please send us your new ad-
Environmental Implications dress, as mail that is undeliverable is returned
If we want to persist in keeping every adult em- to us and we incur extra costs. Thank you.
ployed in production, even if production to meet basic

www.michaeljournal.org MICHAEL May/June/July 2024 17