Quite the contrary. While the scarcity of diamonds is enforced by a small cabal of diamond hoarders, the scarcity of labor is enforced by unchangeable biologica

Quite the contrary. While the scarcity of diamonds is enforced by a small cabal of diamond hoarders, the scarcity of labor is enforced by unchangeable biological demands that are universal across the human family. Biology will always place a limitation on the amount of labor that one can expend, and psychology, which is an only slightly more pliable abstraction on top of biology, limits it further. Humans are biologically programmed, as part of the survival instinct, to preserve as much energy as possible. They will only expend hard effort when they are convinced that it will provide them with tangible and necessary benefits (where necessary means that the brain sends rewards in response to the anticipated benefit). Inasmuch as wealth refers to the ability to command labor, either directly (like hiring an employee) or indirectly (like paying for the work product of another organization's employees), there are real limits that can't be circumvented. As automation and technology enable us to a) prevent or seriously impede natural corrosive processes that destroy our work product and b) generate more useful goods and services with increasingly-less dependence on human effort, I agree that "wealth", for the value of wealth that means access to conveniences and luxuries, will become more generally available as we continue to improve.