4 ms·

I think we're headed for a different economic system entirely by the end of the decade. Most millennials / Gen Z fully realize that "perpetual growth capitalis

I think we're headed for a different economic system entirely by the end of the decade. Most millennials / Gen Z fully realize that "perpetual growth capitalism" has to end in our lifetimes. Even ignoring climate change, we simply have to consume less because we're running out of things to consume. At best, we're looking at holding global economic output relatively flat in perpetuity; at worst it will decline across the board. Our political and economic systems are not designed for that reality over any significant time span. We will need to replace them with ones that are, and that process will be neither pretty nor peaceful (the left is starting to bring guns to rallies too).

SketchySeaBeast 6y ago
I'm not sure about any sort of radical change. I recognize the issues, but I also bought a house and have meager retirement savings in the market. Millennials and Gen Z are going to sink further and further into these systems, especially as the baby boomer money and homes come free and start drifting into the next generations. I doubt we'll run out of things to consume, we've already found the solution to that - digital media, with no real world substance, has a ton of value. If you can create items to consume out of thin air, you can never run out.
keithwhor 6y ago
While access to resources is not evenly distributed (not everybody can consume equally), life itself is a consumption mechanism by design. We're currently only consuming 1 / 10,000th of the energy that reaches Earth from the Sun every day. I'd be hesitant to paint a future whereby consumptive expansion isn't feasible or possible. In this past decade alone we turned automated prime factorization into a currency just to have an excuse to waste energy. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale
- willcipriano 6y ago
  From my perspective the growth potential globally is massive, the majority of people on earth live on less than $2.50 a day. This can't be where we stop the wheels of progress.

SketchySeaBeast 6y ago

I'm not sure about any sort of radical change. I recognize the issues, but I also bought a house and have meager retirement savings in the market. Millennials and Gen Z are going to sink further and further into these systems, especially as the baby boomer money and homes come free and start drifting into the next generations. I doubt we'll run out of things to consume, we've already found the solution to that - digital media, with no real world substance, has a ton of value. If you can create items to consume out of thin air, you can never run out.

keithwhor 6y ago

While access to resources is not evenly distributed (not everybody can consume equally), life itself is a consumption mechanism by design. We're currently only consuming 1 / 10,000th of the energy that reaches Earth from the Sun every day. I'd be hesitant to paint a future whereby consumptive expansion isn't feasible or possible. In this past decade alone we turned automated prime factorization into a currency just to have an excuse to waste energy. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale

willcipriano 6y ago
From my perspective the growth potential globally is massive, the majority of people on earth live on less than $2.50 a day. This can't be where we stop the wheels of progress.