Discussing the merits of Unconditional Basic Income | Enno Schmidt | TEDxBasel

What would you do if you were provided with an unconditional basic income that covered the costs of your necessities? Enno Schmidt discusses the possibilities, and explains how rethinking income distribution is not only necessary in our developing digital economy but also the next giant step in human history. Interviewed by TEDxBasel's curator, Hayes Ford
The intro animation was produced as a collaboration between TEDxBasel and the Hochschule Luzern. The video was created by Bianca Caderas, Helen Bosand and Zea Schaad.
Find out more about this event and the other ideas that were shared at www.tedxbasel.com/
Enno Schmidt is an artist, filmmaker, author and spokesman. He is a founder of the people’s initiative for an unconditional basic income in Switzerland (vote on June 5th), and co-founder and managing director of the Enterprise Economy and Art - Expands. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Frankfurt am Main in Germany, he lives in Basel.
Favourite quote: "He who wants something finds a way. He who doesn't, finds a reason", Götz W. Werner, entrepreneur
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

[@IamMANnumber1]

A russian guy just parked his £220million yacht on the Thames. It's got 3 swimming pools - one with a glass floor. Someone just commented that the UBI is for lazy people. How hard do oligarchs work?

[@SaltVinegar2010]

IamMANnumber1 And he probably pays less Tax than you too.

[@pakau]

VULCAN750L so your telling me that they basically found a cheat code on the system .. and now they live influenced by different rules ...

[@pakau]

"+jfsfrnd What makes you think I'm not? What is your point?" people like them don't give youtube comments on basic income videos ?

[@CartoonManWhoo]

@Vulcan750L But other people work EXTREMELY HARD and dont get rich. Getting rich is not about working hard... it is about having unfair advantages

[@barraqali336]

They don't work; they exploit others, rob them of legitimate income and opportunities; they lie and cheat. No honest work would earn you the price of a yacht with three swimming pools!

[@MindandQiR1]

ANDREW YANG 2020

[@Belrivers]

Retired and for four years I have been doing volunteer work as open source scholarship work.

[@whattheeconomy]

I invite You to that channel YT @whattheeconomy

[@fivecent4483]

I hope it will come true.

[@ceciliadumont3449]

ante la automatizacion inminente ..cuál sería el sentido filosófico de la renta universal ???

[@caludiocaballeria7399]

el objetivo es el pleno desempleo, para que podamos jugar...

[@ChristineCircelli-go2yw]

Many caregivers myself included are going without because our families depend on us. A UBI is critical right now.

[@williamregister7720]

Basic income and a 20 hour work week would be great.

[@jgdooley2003]

The golden solution, enough pleasant and stimulating work for non essential rewards and the basic income to cover the life supporting essentials. I do not foresee people being able to take foreign holidays or trips to Vegas on basic income... only that they cover basic life support like food, shelter, health care and stay alive which many non working people find hard to do today.

[@daveklebt7732]

so your ambition is to lie around watch tv and smoke pot?

[@christinevr7698]

This is going to be necessary, and sooner rather than later. Technology is outstripping the abilities and energies of humans at an alarming rate. I have seen it personally; algorithms are used in place of stock market traders, machines are better at manufacturing jobs, computers generate statistics and payrolls far more effectively than humans.... the end of work as we now know it, is happening now and moving fast. Experiments around the world, in India, in Canada, in the Netherlands, prove over and over that it is NOT a call to sloth and degradation. In fact the opposite happens; people, with enough money not to stress and be fearful of basic food, clothing and shelter have the means and opportunity to be creative, to be entrepreneurial, to be a community volunteer. Crime rates go down, health (esp general mental health) improves, social family networks are strengthened as families have time to take of their kids, or seniors... Lots of people will still work in a job setting of some kind. People still want to be productive; it's how we are wired as humans. It's just a matter of what that productivity will be-- now that it doesn't have to be tied to a salary, or energies and wasted talents sacrificed to earn a dwindling paycheque in jobs that we must take just to put food on the table and a roof over our heads.

[@mspapworth1]

I really appreciate intelligent rather than reactive comments, and your comment was intelligent and creative.

[@non-of-your-bussines]

smart ☺

[@kvaka009]

All the comments that oppose UBI as an idea always commit the fallacy of thinking that everyone else is lazy and irresponsible except themselves.

[@daveklebt7732]

the real reason that ubi is it expects other people to take responsibility for one's failures. (we already have a safety net for persons with disabilities.) this expectation is moral failure. there are three ways one can interact with society - one can beg, one can steal, or one can trade. the only honorable course of action is trade. what is ubi? begging or theft? it certainly is not trade.

[@kvaka009]

@@daveklebt7732 neologism? What does that mean? I can think of another ways of relating to society: care. One can care. Your claim about 3 ways of relating to society seems wrong conceptually as well a empirically. There people in Ukraine right now who volunteer, destroy, defend, inspire, organize, pitch in, etc. None of those are either begging stealing or trading. I think you're taking smith's claim about trucking and bartering too literally. A good cure for that is a decent book on anthropology to cure your misconceptions. I recommend The Dawn of Everything. It's excellent. I don't think neologism means what you think it does.

[@daveklebt7732]

@@kvaka009 ubi is a neologism. the real definition of ubi is "bait."

[@federicoaldunate6090]

Well, I would love if my country had enough money to implement ubi, but we don't. Maybe I can move to your rich countries

[@jindrichplantagenet1467]

No country got that amount money. You need to tax something high enough. You have people with enough money to pay it all. You just need to take it from them

[@phy29]

I have uncondittional love for you ...

[@thaotaylor6669]

It be too late for me and who is in their 50s or 60s they have work , until 2030 to 2040 then things might happen by then with robotic and A.I .

[@maxwell3t42]

Vote for Andrew Yang to be president in 2020. He is the man who will make the basic income a reality for the American people! Freedom Dividend for everybody! MATH-Make America Think Harder!

[@daveklebt7732]

this last thing American needs is another goof ball that believes in a unicorn marxist utopia.

[@ghilll777]

it just math in the US ... $10K is about $3,000,000,000,000 is that enough 20K a year $6 T tax would have to double is that enough 35K sound reasonable that $10.5 T 50 K for each well that would be $15,000,000,000,000 how about 100,000 each well 30 trillion lets see what 1,000,000 a year would do ready ...$300,000,000,000,000,000 of course that would not be inflationary

[@caludiocaballeria7399]

capitalist way to socialism. Sounds good.

[@williamregister7720]

Why tf would anyone work at fast food places at the current or less wages? I think wages should increase... With a basic income. I mean... Instead of one millionaire fast food place owner they would have to make many 100k havers. This is good...

[@jgdooley2003]

In the good old days most restaurants and pubs were small family owned operations where every member of staff was a family member or close neighbour and there was a tightly coupled relationship between management and labour towards a clearly defined and obvious goal, keeping sales up and keeping customers happy. This is lost in the current race towards large impersonal corporate chains where the goals of the ordinary workers are far removed from the goals of the owners.The top guy gets the biggest slice of the cake and the workers are getting less and less. This is the same in the EU as in the US, Carrefour and Tescos in the EU, Walmart and the likes in the US. There are some jobs in the much maligned burger chains that are relatively well paid as you move up the chain of command to junior management or franchise ownership but the risks can be daunting if a shopping mall you are tied to closes down or reduces trade.

[@scottroy6195]

They would work for the things they "want". The UBI isn't paying for the new iPhone.

[@Syklonus]

McDonalds are automating their stores so there won't be any jobs in fast food places left in a few years.

[@michaelp.waller8834]

Unsustainable ?

[@typhoon320i]

If you did it for the whole population of a country, isn't that inflationary? Thereby negating the effect of the income? After all, your just going to be printing more money, with perhaps less goods and services produced by less people working. (Unless you have 100% robot labor)

[@Syklonus]

No because all these rules about money are man made and can be altered accordingly.

[@luisyv9096]

Discusión estúpida y poco seria al respecto de la renta básica........quien en el mundo puede negar lo que significa esa palabra, solo alguien que piensa por encima de eso o porque no está al otro lado de la realidad........

[@daveklebt7732]

UBI is bait. if you don't know what bait is, ask your dad. if you run with the herd, you end up as a lamb chop.

[@verntoews6937]

The corporate communists finally have our enslavement within their grasp Wave the communist financial carrot in front of us fools and we will gladly forget how to critical think on the surrender of our freedom Did you actually think UBI was free money

[@daveklebt7732]

​@@verntoews6937 that would be the "fascist corporations." we are in a weird flux now, with the marxist insurgency. some call what we have now "neo-corporatism." but i think the term "communo-fascism" more aptly describes the shift toward a marxist regime for the average people and freedom for the corporate oligarchs, wealthy and globalists. they learn what might be possible when China opened up to a "market economy" with an iron-fisted, top-down government. China is really very close to a classical "fascist" state, but where the market and the economy are in complete control of an authoritarian government. the left loves this, since as useless idiots, they think they are going to finally be able to rule over all the others that never agreed with the foolish marxists, the post-moderns and the well the insane group that are trying to take control of education.

[@verntoews6937]

@@daveklebt7732 thank you

[@doc2590]

we need a ubi now. But how do you change the old school people who believe jobs jobs and more jobs is the answer to everything. More jobs just means more slaves, working for their masters. or soul-destroying meaningless jobs in government departments moving paper around. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[@peterjol]

the UBI is a useless idea...instead it must be made financially worthwhile for people to share the jobs/work we actually need/want people to do and so everyone can enjoy working LESS...there is no such thing as a shortage of jobs ....just a shortage of people sharing the work.

[@alright50000]

Make UBI Guaranteed Income $2500/month for every person on the earth Help Ending Poverty, Starvation,Disability,Old Age,Children,Homelessness

[@crashdummy1000]

Csaba Kelemen think about where the $$ comes from. Taxes from central banks. What happens when the $$ runs out?

[@Peter337]

This is about the stupidest idea evaaah... Never go full commi' as he is suggesting! First of all he doesn't know how money is created. And that's a big problem with his theory. Its easy to predict the results: massive inflation due to the velocity of money(google that) and huge waste due to not appreciating your money, cause u didn't earn it!! Lastly the productivity will crash, cause more people don't find it neccesary to work their ass off and SAVE money because there is nothing to worry about in the future.. Right..? Reason and logic plzzz help us, we need you more than ever!

[@alexanderglasgow3936]

Milton Friedman wanted a universal basic income you dumbass, one of the biggest capitalist thinkers of all time. Don't be so fucking stupid all the time.

[@dinsel9691]

Pete Main For the last 40 years productivity has shot up... while wages have stagnated... So yes if productivity goes down.. but people have more income... we would be back to the 60's where everybody could afford to buy his own house, marry and raise a family with just one worker in the family.

[@jeremiahmyers9533]

How is this communism?

[@kuriousitykat]

most people in future won't be able to ''work arses off" coz work will all be done by automation and robots.