[mafribe]

Not the OP, but one might argue that slavery disincentivises the slave-holder from innovating the labour process.

The (Nietzschean?) counterargument here is that slave-labour enables division of labour and frees enough from non-specialised labour (e.g. individuals being responsible for all of producing food, building dwellings, providing security, raising children, caring for the elderly etc, and thus not being particularly good at any of them) to allow the emergence of a 'caste' of full-time scientists, engineers. Such a 'caste', such division of labour is required to drive technological progress to a level where slavery becomes unnecessary.

My historically uninformed and naive suggestion would be that ancient Greece was an example of the latter while most other societies with substantial slavery (such as South America and Africa) were examples of the former.

Aside: Any serious discussion of slavery must begin with the question: what do you mean by "slavery", for the term is used in wildly different ways.

[ThomPete]

Then it's a negative to society but only if all of society was run by slave owners.

In any other case the slave owner would have a benefit over the non slave owner when it came to cost of production.

[xyzzy123]

It's both hilarious and excellent to watch both of you try to justify the utility of human labour.

[ThomPete]

Not sure what you mean? I am not trying to justify anything I am simply saying that the claim about slave labour being a negative for the slave owner is wrong.

I am quite certain ai will take over most jobs.

[mafribe]

I'm not sure what you mean. Human labour has utility, that why we work.

[xyzzy123]

From a certain perspective human labour is the most perfect waste of time. But keep going.

As long as you keep it up I'll pretend I want to keep working.

[mafribe]

Is that "certain perspective" interesting? Nobody wants to work that's a given that doesn't need to be argued, whence work needs incentives (in a generalised sense) from salary to force.

Most human labour has historically related to food production, production and maintainance of dwellings, sanitation, health, care of the young & elderly, and security (from animals, natural forces, other humans). Since division of labour became possible additional forms of labour emerged, such as science, engineering, and organisation of labour whose raison d'être is to lighten humanity's workload. One can and should certainly ask if work could be organised better, but there is a base load of things that need to be done to perpetuate humanity.

[Qworg]

I disagree that no one wants to work - in many ways, working (being of use), is enobeling.

What will replace it culturally when we don't have any work?