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Billing by usage is a method by which shared resources are allocated. It isn't the only way, and it assumes that the economic value an individual derives from

Billing by usage is a method by which shared resources are allocated. It isn't the only way, and it assumes that the economic value an individual derives from use of a shared resource is proportional to, or at the very least correlated with, the benefit that society gains from allocating the resource to that individual. For cryptocurrency validators (I refuse to use the term "mining" as it is entirely inaccurate), the benefit to the individual validator is anticorrelated with the benefit to society.

gruez 5y ago
>Billing by usage is a method by which shared resources are allocated. By this logic, is every resource a shared resource? Does the concept of ownership not exist anymore? Am I committing the heinous crime of "sucking up shared resources" if I buy a $2000 gaming PC and use it to browse HN rather than to game?
- MereInterest 5y ago
  By this logic, yes, every resource is a shared resource. I think that's a reasonable way to view things in a world where resources are limited. The purpose of money is to allocate shared and limited resources. Ownership is a useful heuristic, both for planning ahead and for describing resources that are currently held exclusively. I'm not really sure what your point is on that one. Intended actions matter. If you buy an expensive PC with the intent of video gaming, but then find that your interests shift, I have no problem with that. On the other hand, if you buy an expensive PC for the purpose of conspicuous consumption, to show off that you have bought it, then I'd be tilting my head at you. If you buy an expensive PC for the purpose of running it 24/7 to contribute to a system that is used primarily for speculation and that has enabled the rise of ransomware, then I have a large problem with it.