I wonder if asking such question (and inspecting answers given) is not enough to refute the idea behind basic income - that it allows people to retrain into their desired profession, thus making the society more productive. Seeing that most people desire only a relatively small subset of careers (and almost no one want to be for example a dentist, an accountant, not to mention telemarketer or toilet cleaner), I don't think it's going to work.
Hmm, that's really interesting - "toilet cleaners" in particular stuck out in my mind. There will still be folks doing this job, but I imagine they'll be paid more.
Money becomes less valuable the more you have. For example, your first $1000 dollars buys food and shelter, while your next $1000 buys nice food and a bigger house. With BI, everyone should have the basics covered so any earned income will buy luxuries.
> Seeing that most people desire only a relatively small subset of careers (and almost no one want to be for example a dentist, an accountant, not to mention telemarketer or toilet cleaner), I don't think it's going to work.
Or...these careers would either pay a lot more (wouldn't begrudge toilet cleaners making more money), eventually be found unnecessary or uneconomical and go away (no more telemarketers?) or be automated away. That doesn't sound like an entirely bad outcome.
Besides you'd be surprised how many people genuinely want to be dentists or accountants; those careers may not be for you but I'm sure many dentists and accountants enjoy their work.
