Trekonomics is a nice non-fiction book about the utopian ideas presented in Star Trek and especially TNG. It talks about Gene Roddenberry's ideals for a better

Trekonomics is a nice non-fiction book about the utopian ideas presented in Star Trek and especially TNG. It talks about Gene Roddenberry's ideals for a better future once post-scarcity (symbolized by the replicator) has been reached. In the Federation, there is no poverty and no one spends their life hoarding wealth other than the Ferengi. The show presents a clear answer to a popular criticism to UBI: what is to prevent everyone from staying home to play video games and leeching off society? The optimistic answer is that once society can produce enough goods for everyone, the traditional value system of society (material wealth => proxy for contributions to society => virtue) loses meaning and will be overtaken by new ones (contributing to society => virtue). Of course in the Star Trek universe, they only got there after nuclear apocalypse (WW3) and rebuilding society, but the value system is appealing and IMO something we ought to strive for.