The Greek word hamartia refers to a moral or intellectual failing. It is often used to describe the essential character flaw of the tragic hero which leads to his downfall. For Aristotle, an act of hamartema was an act falling somewhere between accident and unrighteousness. He understood it as an offense against the ruling order, lacking in deliberate maliciousness. It is “an innocent mistake caused by weakness, unavoidable circumstances, or a lack of knowledge.” 1
We use it here to describe the lack of knowledge or mistaken reasoning associated with the subject of the Rise of the Robots, particularly the faulty prescriptions for action which arise from faulty or shallow diagnoses of the situation.
This section gathers evidence of and critiques such faulty reasonings. These ideas include attempts to preserve the old capitalist order through the technological transition. This includes the increasingly popular idea of a universal basic income which, if administered incorrectly, will end up being a mechanism to preserve the capitalist class structure; a classic mistake of putting new wine into old wineskins.
Particular attention will be paid to the hamartia of the Left; the very people who should know better. We no longer need to waste time debating how the revolution will come about or “whose side” the new technologies are on. Efforts to rebuild the labor movement need to be reassessed in the light of these radical technologies, as does the nature of the relationship between capitalism and socialism. As we shall see, this relationship need no longer be antagonistic; it is better characterized as the new generation attending to the old in its dotage.
Another definition of hamartia is “missing the mark.” This section will examine the ways we are currently missing the mark, and offer suggestions to correct our aim.
1 The Complete Biblical Library. The New Testament Greek-English Dictionary, Alpha-Gamma. Springfield, Missouri. 1986.