Basically, the argument goes that uploads will be able to replace large swathes of normal humans who work on cognitive tasks, such as lawyers, engineers, writers, academics, programmers, etc.
This resembles the “Luddite fallacy”, which was debunked by experience, which is to say, had the Luddites been right that the majority of the workforce would be replaced by a much more productive minority working the labor-saving machines (compare: humans would be replaced by much more productive uploads), we would already be living in something like a Hansonian upload dystopia, which we are not.
No, these are not the same. Labor-saving machines replace humans with a smaller number of humans, at some ratio. If the economy grows by that same ratio, then the demand for humans is back where it started. Labor-saving machines also apply only to some domains but not others, so the tasks which machines can’t do become limiting and expand. But with uploads, there is no such ratio; no operators are needed, and there are no domains of things uploads can’t do. so growing the economy further does not make humans valuable again.
It does not matter whether they are the same or not—what matters is whether the differences change the conclusion.
Labor-saving machines replace humans with a smaller number of humans, at some ratio. If the economy grows by that same ratio, then the demand for humans is back where it started.
Why does this change the conclusion? You need to explain how this makes the conclusion any different. You have an “if” there. I can propose an equivalent “if” in my scenario—and I did, which is that the total economy, both supply and demand, expands along with the population (where population = human + upload). Remember, the uploads are potential demanders, not just suppliers.
Labor-saving machines also apply only to some domains but not others, so the tasks which machines can’t do become limiting and expand. But with uploads, there is no such ratio; no operators are needed, and there are no domains of things uploads can’t do. so growing the economy further does not make humans valuable again.
Again, why does this change the conclusion? You say that there are no domains of things that uploads can’t do. But you could say the same thing of new babies. There are no things that new babies can’t do. So, suppose that our population is increased a hundredfold by new babies. Now we have 99 new-population for each old-population. And they can do everything the old-population can do. So, is the old-population no longer valuable? No—the economy simply expands a hundredfold. The 99 new-population compete for the exact same jobs that the old-population were doing, sure, but they are also 99 new customers. The new people buying stuff exactly matches the new people selling stuff. So the old-population remains in business.
No, these are not the same. Labor-saving machines replace humans with a smaller number of humans, at some ratio. If the economy grows by that same ratio, then the demand for humans is back where it started. Labor-saving machines also apply only to some domains but not others, so the tasks which machines can’t do become limiting and expand. But with uploads, there is no such ratio; no operators are needed, and there are no domains of things uploads can’t do. so growing the economy further does not make humans valuable again.
It does not matter whether they are the same or not—what matters is whether the differences change the conclusion.
Why does this change the conclusion? You need to explain how this makes the conclusion any different. You have an “if” there. I can propose an equivalent “if” in my scenario—and I did, which is that the total economy, both supply and demand, expands along with the population (where population = human + upload). Remember, the uploads are potential demanders, not just suppliers.
Again, why does this change the conclusion? You say that there are no domains of things that uploads can’t do. But you could say the same thing of new babies. There are no things that new babies can’t do. So, suppose that our population is increased a hundredfold by new babies. Now we have 99 new-population for each old-population. And they can do everything the old-population can do. So, is the old-population no longer valuable? No—the economy simply expands a hundredfold. The 99 new-population compete for the exact same jobs that the old-population were doing, sure, but they are also 99 new customers. The new people buying stuff exactly matches the new people selling stuff. So the old-population remains in business.