post-scarcity contemplations
And where are the examples of people who can live without money? They can be found, but are often far flung & few between (and not just the uncontacted cultures of the world). Unless you seek evidence in Science Fiction (which is quickly becoming reality in this mid-singularity time in which we live)...
So, one might ask, "How do we connect, or even confederate the dots?" Hunter gatherer tribes manage without money: any surplus is divided up equally for the survival of the entire tribe. But how large can any tribe maintain itself (q.v. Dunbar's number)? Bucky Fuller indicated that technology allows us to do more with less ("ephemeralization"), and that people can rise above Malthusian scarcity by learning to cooperate in mutually beneficial relationships of synergy. I am inclined to agree with this line of thinking, but I will be honest with you that I believe we are still birthing this baby, a century or more later (depending on where you measure things from).
I would suggest getting involved in coops & communes (even time banking & other local exchanges) to get some real world experience of how these theories actually work. Don't get me wrong, I truly believe in the power of strategies like reciprocal altruism. There are just still some rather sticky human issues of development outside of money to be dealt with, here. Not everyone understands how to cooperate, or wants to. Some people will actually intentionally attempt to take advantage of other people's trust, if they think that they can get away with it. So, cooperative communities must select against freeloaders, just like the body's immune system fights off parasites.
But, to give some examples of how anyone can make these cooperative post-scarcity community sorts of things actually work (at least the nuts & bolts side of it... the jury's still out on the social angles), in spite of the jerks out there (albeit, still with some challenges of learning curve, etc.), check out the Open Source Ecology: The Global Village Construction Set (our friends @ Creation Flame in Bastrop, TX are already doing it, btw;-)). And since people have pointed out how crucial modern medicine is for survival... as far as medicine goes (as well as many other questions of fabrication & transportation), 3d printing is a perfect proof of Bucky Fuller's theories... how about you just print those medicines on your desktop?
So, the remaining questions are who owns the land & the rare earth minerals (really any minerals), and how do we exchange with them, right?
That is, as long as we still have clean air & water, too!
We are already dealing with some some short range issues that relate... such as the curious phenomenon generally known as the reputation economy.
Many of the medium range issue are becoming overwhelming, already... like the double-edged sword of automation.
What will we do when we reach the long range issues... consider the implications of nanotech, for instance
There's a ton of great food for thought here...
And FWIW, here are some of my thoughts & experiences with current experiments in surviving outside of scarcity-based economies
PS
"Money is like love; it kills slowly and painfully the one who withholds it, and enlivens the other who turns it on his fellow man." - Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931)
So, one might ask, "How do we connect, or even confederate the dots?" Hunter gatherer tribes manage without money: any surplus is divided up equally for the survival of the entire tribe. But how large can any tribe maintain itself (q.v. Dunbar's number)? Bucky Fuller indicated that technology allows us to do more with less ("ephemeralization"), and that people can rise above Malthusian scarcity by learning to cooperate in mutually beneficial relationships of synergy. I am inclined to agree with this line of thinking, but I will be honest with you that I believe we are still birthing this baby, a century or more later (depending on where you measure things from).
I would suggest getting involved in coops & communes (even time banking & other local exchanges) to get some real world experience of how these theories actually work. Don't get me wrong, I truly believe in the power of strategies like reciprocal altruism. There are just still some rather sticky human issues of development outside of money to be dealt with, here. Not everyone understands how to cooperate, or wants to. Some people will actually intentionally attempt to take advantage of other people's trust, if they think that they can get away with it. So, cooperative communities must select against freeloaders, just like the body's immune system fights off parasites.
But, to give some examples of how anyone can make these cooperative post-scarcity community sorts of things actually work (at least the nuts & bolts side of it... the jury's still out on the social angles), in spite of the jerks out there (albeit, still with some challenges of learning curve, etc.), check out the Open Source Ecology: The Global Village Construction Set (our friends @ Creation Flame in Bastrop, TX are already doing it, btw;-)). And since people have pointed out how crucial modern medicine is for survival... as far as medicine goes (as well as many other questions of fabrication & transportation), 3d printing is a perfect proof of Bucky Fuller's theories... how about you just print those medicines on your desktop?
So, the remaining questions are who owns the land & the rare earth minerals (really any minerals), and how do we exchange with them, right?
That is, as long as we still have clean air & water, too!
We are already dealing with some some short range issues that relate... such as the curious phenomenon generally known as the reputation economy.
Many of the medium range issue are becoming overwhelming, already... like the double-edged sword of automation.
What will we do when we reach the long range issues... consider the implications of nanotech, for instance
There's a ton of great food for thought here...
And FWIW, here are some of my thoughts & experiences with current experiments in surviving outside of scarcity-based economies
PS
"Money is like love; it kills slowly and painfully the one who withholds it, and enlivens the other who turns it on his fellow man." - Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931)