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This is critical. As long as we operate in a highly competitive climate, private ownership and rights associated with it become a necessity. Ownership not only

This is critical. As long as we operate in a highly competitive climate, private ownership and rights associated with it become a necessity. Ownership not only legally guarantees your rights but denies others rights (your competition). Even with a well optimized sharing economy inside a highly competitive environment, you'll look for ways to break the optimization process favorable to yourself. If everything schedules at my whim I'll be sure and use the most scarce and difficult to obtain resources to lock them down and trade that time to others for something else I want. Short of living in a post scarcity economy, it would never be feasible.

collyw 6y ago
I feel that "post scarcity" requires some definition. In the west very few people go hungry and the vast majority of people have a mobile phone - something that was an expensive status item just a couple of decades ago. It feels like if we made everything "post scarcity" by today's standard, we would have a load more things that people would be striving to acquire. On the other hand maybe post scarcity is what some buddhist monks who give up everything are closer to achieving than anyone in the west.
- leetcrew 6y ago
  it seems possible that food, water, shelter, and even healthcare could be provided to everyone in the near future, but positional goods will always exist. it will never be possible for everyone to live in a manhattan penthouse, be treated by the best doctors, etc., and people will still compete for access to these things.
  - collyw 6y ago
    In Europe, particularly in the richer countries such as Scandanavia those are generally not a problem. A few years ago a friend from Denmark said that the whole country had 16 homeless people. Obviously there are people who have problems but I think those run deeper than just not being able to afford the basics.
  - jpttsn 6y ago
    Additionally, as food, water, shelter become readily available, people raise the bar even on those goods. The social safety net here in Sweden won't let me starve. But to impress my friends, I have to buy much more than calories. The food I serve must be climate compensated, organic, small batch, good for animals and people. Buying food becomes an exercise in personal branding.

collyw 6y ago

I feel that "post scarcity" requires some definition. In the west very few people go hungry and the vast majority of people have a mobile phone - something that was an expensive status item just a couple of decades ago. It feels like if we made everything "post scarcity" by today's standard, we would have a load more things that people would be striving to acquire. On the other hand maybe post scarcity is what some buddhist monks who give up everything are closer to achieving than anyone in the west.

leetcrew 6y ago
it seems possible that food, water, shelter, and even healthcare could be provided to everyone in the near future, but positional goods will always exist. it will never be possible for everyone to live in a manhattan penthouse, be treated by the best doctors, etc., and people will still compete for access to these things.
- collyw 6y ago
  In Europe, particularly in the richer countries such as Scandanavia those are generally not a problem. A few years ago a friend from Denmark said that the whole country had 16 homeless people. Obviously there are people who have problems but I think those run deeper than just not being able to afford the basics.
- jpttsn 6y ago
  Additionally, as food, water, shelter become readily available, people raise the bar even on those goods. The social safety net here in Sweden won't let me starve. But to impress my friends, I have to buy much more than calories. The food I serve must be climate compensated, organic, small batch, good for animals and people. Buying food becomes an exercise in personal branding.