Talk:Post-scarcity

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This 'discussion page' is currently used to hold notes for the development of this website (however it can still be used for discussion)

"To see how this kind of abundance is possible, it is important to understand the underlying concepts and potential of open-source and advanced automation – otherwise this is easily dismissed as naive dreaming. These concepts are not yet widely known or understood, partly because they have only recently become feasible."

Need section on population growth. See michael email
Interesting article on population growth: http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0502-rhett_butler.html

Point that once people get beyond materialism people are then in an optimal position to co-operate and collaborate for the right reasons.

Section on the economics of abundance.

Note about these developments not happening in a political and social vacuum - I'm just describing what is technologically possible at the moment.

The simplest analogy is that of a vast jungle providing fruit in abundance for anyone to eat – but in this scenario the jungle is highly autonomous distributed machinery that has been transparently and collaboratively designed.

post-materialism

End of commercial era?

Ultimately how will companies be able to compete with huge open-source networks? Can restricted groups of professionals outcompete the rest of the world (that also include so-called professionals) who are constantly evolving shared IP. When the tools have matured and working practices for thistype of collaboration have been highly optimised, it seems unlikely...

Post-materialism

Once it is known that there is almost no limit on goods for personal consumption - it might be like a child in a free sweet shop or workers in a chocolate factory who can eat as much as they want. After a few sessions of over-indulgence, there is no longer a rush to grab and consume as much as possible. Quality becomes more important that quantity. It then becomes part of the culture - materialism is a phase to be passed through in these early stages of our civilisation. There is only so much 'stuff' that a single person can interact with and use within their lifetime...

John Gelles note

The fundamental positive (a sufficiency of material, energy, intelligence, information) is matched by the fundamental negatives: the urge to populate until scarcity trumps abundance (Malthusian doctrine); and the urge develop complexity, variation, embellishment and clutter, until intelligence cannot cope -- that is to experience the triumph of form over substance or mandarinism).

Simple solutions are resisted by the force of habit: for example, we do not highly reward females who limit themselves to two children, nor do we sufficiently reward effective simplification (an art that to date has lost the war against counter-productive complexity, clutter and distraction.)

Existing economics is defined by scarcity. Existing law is defined by blessed complexity.

Money, the God-sent simplifier, is under the control of the Devil. Rescue it, and the path to an advanced civilization will be widened to vastly increase the speed of travel to its many locales.

http://wiki-debate.wikispaces.com/debating+the+money+question

-- Johngelles 22:29, 22 February 2007

Image

Make image of cornucopia with more relevant stuff pouring out:

  • Medicine
  • Drinking water
  • Food
  • Vehicles
  • Machines
  • Housing
  • Consumer products
  • etc

General