According to economist Jeremy Rifkin, the end is near. Of the many points in Rifkin's book, The End of Work, that will raise eyebrows, none is as bold as his notion that the world is moving very rapidly towards a workerless society. Whether it is melon-picking robots in Israel or machines that can stitch together clothing, Rifkin believes that, sooner or later, the world will find itself out of work. His prediction is that it will be sooner.

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The End of Work,
by Jeremy Rifkin
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons
1995

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The End of Work is neither Chicken Little fatalism nor Orwellian fantasy. It is, however, a thought-provoking analysis of the not-too-distant future. On the surface, it would be easy to dismiss many of Rifkin's arguments as the ramblings of a latter-day Nostradamus. But think again. Rifkin done his homework: the book is very well researched and he has taken great care to present a well-written argument.

There are two basic themes in The End of Work. The first makes the argument that the purpose of technology is to replace human labor. In support of this theme, Rifkin offers many examples. For instance, 100 years ago it took one farmer to produce enough food for four people. Today, one farmer can produce enough food for 78 people. The second theme deals with what a world without the need for human labor would look like.

As a book to generate intelligent discussion, it is excellent. As a map of the future, there are caveats. The future is a very fluid idea and some sections are much easier to digest than others.

For instance, his argument that the plight of inner-city blacks in today's society can be traced to the mechanization of farms is interesting, but overly simplistic. True, mechanization probably played a role in the exodus of blacks from the American south, but Jim Crow, the Great Depression, and two world wars also played a part.

The End of Work is a definite must read. However, the reader should keep in mind a scene from A Christmas Carol. Once Ebenezer Scrooge is shown his tombstone by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, he grabs the robes of the spirit and pleads, "Is there no way I may sponge off the writing on that stone?" Scrooge awakens clutching his bedpost, changes his ways and is only the better for having had a glimpse of what might have been his fate. Scrooge learned what The End of Work fails to admit, which is that the future is not set in stone.