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> What made me change my mind about UBI was to realize that a) human desires are infinite, and there'll always be more work to be done and b) the more work is d

> What made me change my mind about UBI was to realize that a) human desires are infinite, and there'll always be more work to be done and b) the more work is done by machines, the richer the population as a whole will be, as products and services automated tend to be cheaper. I agree with this sentiment. Looking into the (very long term) future, it's interesting to look at a fictional post-scarcity society (Star Trek) (with a grain of salt - it's really the writer's imaginations and what you see in the movies/shows) and see what the impact would be. My key takeaways are: * everyone still works, or studies, and the culture is that you still contribute to society rather than sit around and do nothing. This requires a significant culture change from our current society. * They often visit colonies and planets that are decidedly not post-scarcity - they are often poor or middle-class colonies, with an agricultural bent. In theory this shouldn't be the case in a post-scarcity society, but it becomes apparent that there's still a cost (resources and time) associated with production and transport unless you want to be ruled by AI overlords.

tluyben2 10y ago
You work, in that case, but not for money. There might be a lot of work but a lot of that work might be not something anyone wants to pay for. Hell, things we do want, like nurses and teachers we already do not pay enough for, let alone all kinds of niche things. A lot of people who do not have to work still work, and while not many of that kind of worker pops up on HN, many millionaires I know do work in their or other communities, for no money; they also help out with their money. People who like to work, will work, people who want to live on holodecks will live on holodecks. And that is fine. Why would anyone care if we are post scarcity / full UBI?
- a_t48 10y ago
  > A lot of people who do not have to work still work, and while not many of that kind of worker pops up on HN I'd say you're more likely to find that kind of worker here than most other forums on the net.

tluyben2 10y ago

You work, in that case, but not for money. There might be a lot of work but a lot of that work might be not something anyone wants to pay for. Hell, things we do want, like nurses and teachers we already do not pay enough for, let alone all kinds of niche things. A lot of people who do not have to work still work, and while not many of that kind of worker pops up on HN, many millionaires I know do work in their or other communities, for no money; they also help out with their money. People who like to work, will work, people who want to live on holodecks will live on holodecks. And that is fine. Why would anyone care if we are post scarcity / full UBI?

a_t48 10y ago
> A lot of people who do not have to work still work, and while not many of that kind of worker pops up on HN I'd say you're more likely to find that kind of worker here than most other forums on the net.