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As we crawl closer to a post-scarcity society, our economy is going to crumble into dust.

MadassAlexMadassAlex
edited 2011-09-03 09:21:51 in General
One foot in front of the other, every day.
It relies on scarcity, after all. What good is that when there's no competition over resources?

Comments

  • RedEyedAbyssRedEyedAbyss

    "As we crawl closer to a post-scarcity society"

    Context for the rest of us?

  • NovaNova
    If you must eat a phoenix, boil it, do not roast it. This only encourages their mischievous habits.
    I'd assume we'd have a different economy at that point.

    Or, more correctly, no economy at all. Why would we even need one >_>; We'd already have infinite everything, after all.
  • NovaNova
    If you must eat a phoenix, boil it, do not roast it. This only encourages their mischievous habits.
    Context for the rest of us?

  • MadassAlexMadassAlex
    edited 2011-09-03 09:27:19
    One foot in front of the other, every day.
    ^^ The issue is the transition period where those with vested interest in a standard economy will try to hold onto it.

    ^^^ In terms of post-scarcity or progression?
  • NovaNova
    edited 2011-09-03 09:28:12
    If you must eat a phoenix, boil it, do not roast it. This only encourages their mischievous habits.
    The issue is the transition period where those with vested interest in a standard economy will try to hold onto it. 

    Shoot them.

    Not really though.
  • RedEyedAbyssRedEyedAbyss
    edited 2011-09-03 09:33:14
    Progression. The whole thing to me sounds utopian and developed world-centric right now.
  • MadassAlexMadassAlex
    One foot in front of the other, every day.
    Well, assuming we don't destroy ourselves in the meantime, it seems we'll get there. The continued work on synthetic meat, for instance, doesn't just help morally-inspired vegetarians but provides a method for using minimal base resources for providing food.

    That kind of thing is what pushes us towards post-scarcity.
  • RedEyedAbyssRedEyedAbyss

    But how will that benefit the developing world? The current status quo is to exploit them in the name of helping them develop.

    (Aside: I'm a little wary of post-scarcity threads since the last one had little to do with economics and was a thinly-veiled shot at the IJBM community)

  • MadassAlexMadassAlex
    One foot in front of the other, every day.
    This is why post-scarcity technologies are interesting. We could use them to provide for the needy until such a time as they entirely replace regular methods for provision, but we could just as easily use them as corporate alternatives.
  • snowbullsnowbull
    Cue-bey

    (Aside: I'm a little wary of post-scarcity threads since the
    last one had little to do with economics and was a thinly-veiled shot at
    the IJBM community)


    wait what


  • IcalasariIcalasari
    No rainbow star
    Haven't there been many things that could bring us closer that don't get further developed because companies stomp them out before they can get a foothold?
  • BeeBee
    edited 2011-09-03 14:40:05
    ^^ There was an insinuation that the people who were crazy about post-scarcity were largely those who had "had a small taste of it"...by riding off their parents, and that was about to come crashing down in a few years.
  • ChagenChagen
    [tɕagɛn]
    Post-Scarcity will never work. Someone would exploit the system. It'd end being an dystopia.

    The reason Capitalism works is because it runs off of the fact that humans are greedy assholes.
  • RocketDudeRocketDude
    Poot dispenser here
    Isn't the economy already in the toilet?
  • RedEyedAbyssRedEyedAbyss
    edited 2011-09-03 16:22:25

    "The reason Capitalism works is because it runs off of the fact that humans are greedy assholes."

    [citation needed]

    Oh. God exists. Therefore, God exists.

  • ChagenChagen
    [tɕagɛn]
    Captilism has moderately worked.


    There's your evidence.
  • ClockworkUniverseClockworkUniverse
    OOOooooOoOoOOoo, I'm a ghoOooOooOOOost!
    There is no circumstance under which post-scarcity is possible.

    Well, maybe short of killing every human but a tiny number and having automated machines that never break down make everything.
  • ChagenChagen
    [tɕagɛn]
    There isn't exactly a thing as 100% efficient machine, so....
  • MalkavianMalkavian
    MORONS! I'VE GOT MORONS ON MY PAYROLL!
    What the majority of the western world has isn't pure capitalism, though.
  • ChagenChagen
    [tɕagɛn]
    It's still somewhat based in Capitalism.
  • MalkavianMalkavian
    MORONS! I'VE GOT MORONS ON MY PAYROLL!
    Yes, but our version of capitalism Is (or at leas tries to) keep human greed in check, so it's hardly something we can use as evidence of its virtues.
  • MadassAlexMadassAlex
    One foot in front of the other, every day.
    Post-scarcity isn't a system, Chagen. It's more like a provisional condition. You couldn't say economy, because it'd be kinda like a lack of economy.

    Also, I'd be very cautious about anything that makes comment on human nature of broadly generalises the human population. I mean, what's our running definition of "asshole"? And has this definition been tested against almost 7 billion people in detail?
  • RedEyedAbyssRedEyedAbyss
    I've met many counterexamples myself.
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