How did Robert Owen propose that machinery should serve people rather than harm workers?

Robert Owen argued that the competition between human labor and machinery was a primary cause of distress for workers during the Industrial Revolution. To address this, he proposed that the only effective remedy was the "subordination of machinery to people" through united action.1

Rather than allowing technology to displace or harm laborers, Owen envisioned a reorganization of society into self-contained, cooperative communities. These communities would be equipped with modern machinery, but their use would be managed collectively to ensure that work and the resulting benefits were shared among all members. By integrating advanced technology into these planned, largely agricultural villages, Owen sought to ensure that machinery served the common interest of the community rather than operating in competition with the workers themselves. This philosophy eventually helped lay the groundwork for the cooperative movement and early socialism.12