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How can we become a better world after the coronavirus pandemic?
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Implementing Universal Basic Income would ensure basic economic stability for all citizens

Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a great solution to increasing income inequality in an unregulated capitalistic society, but also in the face of increasing worker displacement due to AI and robotics

The Argument

It is increasingly evident, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and with future AI proliferation on the horizon, that a solution to income inequality is vital. Universal Basic Income (UBI) would provide a safety net for all people. Current economic systems such as capitalism, socialism, and communism, are all products of their time. We are in the 21st century, and new ideas have to be considered as society faces entirely new problems. UBI experiments have taken place all around the world, and while the results so far have yielded mixed results, it is still one worthy solution for increasing the overall quality of life of people. UBI would provide a basic monthly payment that would cover the basic expenses of a household. This would not cover extra expenses, which means that people would still have the incentive to work in order to pay for their personal needs and desires. UBI would also allow workers to have more free time to pursue more fulfilling endeavors or for family obligations, more leverage in their workplace, and even perhaps learn new skills or start a business. [1][2]

Counter arguments

Universal Basic Income would be a disaster for society, as it would de-incentivize people to work. If your basic needs are provided for, then people will be unmotivated to work and contribute to society. The small case studies of using UBI are flawed, as they only use a limited amount of people that meet certain financial criteria, hardly “universal.” The idea that the “robots will take all the jobs” is pure science fiction at this point, and people will not use UBI in order to improve themselves or their lives, but rather as a convenient welfare handout that they earned just by existing. [1][3]

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.debatingeurope.eu/focus/arguments-for-against-a-universal-basic-income/#.X3dlfJNKiu4
  2. https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/map-basic-income-experiments-world-1029603804#
  3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcoannunziata/2018/07/27/universal-basic-income-a-universally-bad-idea/#6fd385a03269
This page was last edited on Monday, 5 Oct 2020 at 01:17 UTC

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