I've been thinking a lot about "post" scarcity lately. I put the "post" in scarequotes simply because we have for decades been approaching a mechanized world where machines take the place of arduous labor, yet we still work almost as much as our toiling predecessors. We have better stuff, yet work almost as much.
Why? Simply, for me, was the opinion of Rosseau in 1754: "The first man who, having enclosed a piece of ground, bethought himself of saying This is mine, and found people simple enough to believe him, was the real founder of civil society
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Also...the worlds of art, writing, and video production are highly politicized today...if they become the only source of power in society...how much worse will they be? I know several very, very talented artists who gave up art because of the politics...I'm willing to bet if someone with the best idea ever, walked in off the street, no studio would make it, because they have an entrenched method of doing things, etc, etc. someone wouldn't want to risk losing their 'shot', all these things make...the status quo more likely.
The claims of those who claim an item, be that a ruling entity or a scrappy squirrel, defends the basis for a created scarcity, no matter how scarce resources "really" are.
Indeed, that's a great way to put it.
As to nano-assembly, a question: What drastic changes in society do you envision to prevent these assemblers from being owned wholly by a class of people that simply prevents we Mere Mortals from enjoying the fruits of their labor? For that is exactly what it will take, a drastic change.
I think they likely would for a time, though the thing about technology is it's a genie reluctant to go back into its bottle. Given sufficient time, I suspect such magical assemblers would become widespread in their use. But the road to that point might be bumpy.
Which means that your society of talent is a really, really dubious claim. Yes, there will always be those who will entertain and live well doing so. But how many talented people will be forced to do [insert humiliating dystopian forced activity here] and never realize their
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I've been thinking a lot about "post" scarcity lately. I put the "post" in scarequotes simply because we have for decades been approaching a mechanized world where machines take the place of arduous labor, yet we still work almost as much as our toiling predecessors. We have better stuff, yet work almost as much.
Why? Simply, for me, was the opinion of Rosseau in 1754: "The first man who, having enclosed a piece of ground, bethought himself of saying This is mine, and found people simple enough to believe him, was the real founder of civil society ( ... )
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Indeed, that's a great way to put it.
As to nano-assembly, a question: What drastic changes in society do you envision to prevent these assemblers from being owned wholly by a class of people that simply prevents we Mere Mortals from enjoying the fruits of their labor? For that is exactly what it will take, a drastic change.
I think they likely would for a time, though the thing about technology is it's a genie reluctant to go back into its bottle. Given sufficient time, I suspect such magical assemblers would become widespread in their use. But the road to that point might be bumpy.
Which means that your society of talent is a really, really dubious claim. Yes, there will always be those who will entertain and live well doing so. But how many talented people will be forced to do [insert humiliating dystopian forced activity here] and never realize their ( ... )
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