Degrowth has happened many times before in human history, including last year. Almost no one wanted it but it still happened. As far as I know, total abandonmen

Degrowth has happened many times before in human history, including last year. Almost no one wanted it but it still happened. As far as I know, total abandonment of free markets has not ever happened, despite many people saying they want it. I have a hard time believing something that has never happened is more likely than something that has happened repeatedly throughout human history and also last year. "Plenty for humans to enjoy" is wealth. The change in wealth over time is profit. Maximizing enjoyment is maximizing profit. Whether you are talking about individual short term profit, or collective long term profit, the problems with number-going-up-obsession are ultimately the same. > Money would eventually lose all meaning as people would have to be provided for or mass starvation policies would have to be put into place. I'm unclear how this is different than the total abandonment of free markets. There's even historical precedent. > You wouldn't get much enjoyment out of what you have... It seems implicit in your argument that more wealth is more human enjoyment. I'm not so sure that is true. By virtue of being alive in 2021 and posting on HN, you are likely one of the wealthiest humans to have ever lived. Do you think you are one of the happiest? One of the problems with the religion of numbers-going-up is that there are always bigger numbers. I think this is a pretty bad relgion honestly. Unfortunately it is very popular.