Standing on the busy streets of Irvine Spectrum, California, I observed the variety of people passing through the fast-moving crowd; some were shoppers, freelancers looking for a coffee shop, or businessmen walking up and down to get to work on time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay From the cheerful hot dog vendors, exchanging invigorating conversations with his everyday customers, to those who pass by casually, looking only at the small screens of their smartphones, each and everyone, regardless of their diversity of occupation, ethnicity or religion , showed one of two reactions to the rapidly changing environment; there were those who couldn't hide their excitement about the “new”, while there were also those who reflected on the “old”. Boarding the plane to South Korea, these conflicting ideas of “change” became the basis of the many questions that arose throughout my high school career. South Korea, currently one of the most economically productive yet competitive and ruthless countries in the world, is where the warm smiles of waiters and customers transform into the pressing of cold metal buttons on the panel of an ordering machine created for reasons of convenience. From the dusty air, the rude hum of machines, and the human interaction that ceased to exist offline, my encounter with my home country was more foreign than ever. I sought the kind of familiarity I expected only to realize that, even in the midst of such painful changes, I only have to force myself to answer an age-old question posed by some of the great minds, such as Henry David Thoreau: “How will we live (and will we produce)?” The world as we know it is changing dramatically. The first industrial revolution developed the use of water and steam energy to mechanize production. The Second Industrial Revolution used electricity to improve rapid production. The third used multiple technologies to efficiently automate production. Over the course of the first three industrial revolutions, the value of human labor understandably declined; however, humanity has done a great job of adapting to these changes and has somehow maintained the value of human labor at a respectable level. We are now in the midst of a fourth industrial revolution in which the fusion of distinct technologies allows us to produce results in virtually all industrial fields with unprecedented precision and efficiency. Economically, this rapid development of technology has increased productivity, or the amount of economic output created by a limited unit of input, especially in terms of hours of labor, and could possibly fuel greater economic progression in the future. Indeed, the fourth industrial revolution has the potential to raise aggregate global income levels to an unanticipated level, however, the growing problem lies in the fact that increasing economic growth does not parallel job creation. parallel structure between productivity and jobs, the majority of human workers positioned at the bottom of the industrial hierarchy will rarely be the ones who benefit from this wave of technology; rather, the beneficiaries will be anyone who “funds and owns” these technologies. As highlighted in the case of Google's AlphaGo phenomenon, this new generation of technology has already invaded countless areas that have hitherto been considered "sacrosanct" for humanity and threatens to reduce human beings to the status of dice andbolts of a gigantic machine that is indifferent to human touch. This process is unsettling for workers as the adoption of rapidly developing technologies, which occurs in manufacturing, retail and even professions such as education and financing, are eliminating the need for workers or jobs, not to mention the significantly lower median income level contrasting with the soaring gross domestic product. This revolution is very likely to generate greater income inequality, undermining the value of work, which has been the solid foundation of human progress. I do not question the necessity of technology, but the ethical dilemma that arises from its rapid developments; whether we choose productivity or job losses. I am convinced that there are some values that must not change regardless of the circumstances; the same qualities that define humanity: love, sympathy, tolerance and ethics. However, as income inequality persists and the value of work weakens, a common ground of “doing” and “not doing” that suggests the possibilities of an ethical economy begins to disintegrate. Proven by Hardin's theory, sharing common resources will lead to depletion and abuse of resources due to the desire to satisfy one's personal interests. Since it is not an exaggeration to say that people fear losses more than they hope to gain, it is natural that there is more inequality and competition to satisfy their needs despite further limited resources. This ultimately leads people to exploit the natural resources around them at no cost and create excess negative externalities such as water and air pollution. Despite how painful the inevitable changes may be, there are no historical patterns that precede sharp declines in jobs in a long-term trend. As surprising as the situation is, historical precedent cannot be used to find a solution to the difficulties we currently face. Workers around the world are gripped by fear resulting from uncertainty: the wandering between the temporary disruption of jobs and the imaginary scenario in which robots and artificial intelligence completely replace humans. This is what leads me to sincerely believe that the role of the economy is more important than ever in making this world livable again. This new world requires a new standard, a new concept of work and a new balance between humanity and productivity to prevent further chaos and deterioration. Equipped with appropriate perspectives and values, people would be able to use change as an opportunity to excel, rather than as an anomaly to be feared. “Economy” is a word that once meant very little to me, and is now at the center of my thoughts. infinite curiosity. It is the thought of providing guidance and hope to many people that ignites my desire to explore the field of economics, because I believe it holds the key to the ability of individuals like me to make small but significant changes. Japan, the epitome of rapid technological development, has had a previous encounter with the problems we currently face. Presumably, this was not only due to its fundamentally different economic structure, but to Japanese society's deep-rooted belief in craftsmanship; the generations of meticulous work dedicated to a single task, a studio, or even a single ramen recipe in a small Harukiya ramen shop, which some might consider insignificant, are to me evidence of immeasurable effort in creating perfection . Despite rapid technological developments that continue to this day, the,.
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