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We will never see an end to scarcity. It isn't merely a flaw that humans seek power. A society without concentrations of power is a weak society, and weak socie

We will never see an end to scarcity. It isn't merely a flaw that humans seek power. A society without concentrations of power is a weak society, and weak societies will always be subservient. Concentrations of power means inequality, and there can be no inequality without scarcity. Therefore scarcity is both unavoidable and valuable.

tel 13y ago
Scarcity is definitely both a social and a physical phenomenon. If we didn't have it we'd be forced to invent it.
eli_gottlieb 13y ago
On the one hand, I think people are downvoting you out of moral feeling rather than geopolitical argument. On the other hand, the geopolitical argument is simple: all that needs to happen is that someone anti-scarcity takes over the world and enforces their tyrannical power on everyone looking to reimpose scarcity and resource competition. You're welcome to have moral qualms with that, but it's basically just the capital-F Futuristic version of Communism.
nickff 13y ago
Scarcity of what, and over what time scale? Human time will always be scarce, and it is valuable to each of us. We can also never have enough knowledge, so that is scarce in some senses, though it is a non-exclusionary good. Material goods fluctuate in scarcity, one can look at metals, silks, porcelain, and many other examples of commodities and their products which vary in price by region and era.
- deleted 13y ago
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- infectoid 13y ago
  Interesting that you mention that, I was thinking along similar lines as both yours and the parent comment. A true knowledge economy is what I would expect as the result of a "nano-factory" revolution. How much you know and what you know could be as valuable in direct terms as how much you earn is today in dollars. I am sure I have heard this discussed in more detail before. Probably on HN. Obviously we are several generations removed from such an event as the cultural shift would be profound. I don't think any of us would like it, me included. I always feel dumb so imagine I'd be part of the lower class in this world.
bksenior 13y ago
Came here to say this, but take it further. Power is a function of survival and reproduction odds improvement. It may be that something else begins to shift that balance, but that flaw will never go away. We are just animals.
- lifeisstillgood 13y ago
  I fail to quite grasp what both of you are arguing. Power is desired in scarce societies when lack of power means lack of sufficient resources for survival and reproduction Where those resources are available to all, then power be ones a function of aberration not necessity With sufficient mobility and abundance invasion and tyranny will become like beating up water. Recently a guy in Syria asked advice on best European country for asylum. He had a job remote in Australia, so whilst looking like a refugee he was actually just moving house. Imagine is everyone on Syria right now had that option. What if one day they gave a war, and everyone just left.?

tel 13y ago

Scarcity is definitely both a social and a physical phenomenon. If we didn't have it we'd be forced to invent it.

eli_gottlieb 13y ago

On the one hand, I think people are downvoting you out of moral feeling rather than geopolitical argument. On the other hand, the geopolitical argument is simple: all that needs to happen is that someone anti-scarcity takes over the world and enforces their tyrannical power on everyone looking to reimpose scarcity and resource competition. You're welcome to have moral qualms with that, but it's basically just the capital-F Futuristic version of Communism.

nickff 13y ago

Scarcity of what, and over what time scale? Human time will always be scarce, and it is valuable to each of us. We can also never have enough knowledge, so that is scarce in some senses, though it is a non-exclusionary good. Material goods fluctuate in scarcity, one can look at metals, silks, porcelain, and many other examples of commodities and their products which vary in price by region and era.

deleted 13y ago
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infectoid 13y ago
Interesting that you mention that, I was thinking along similar lines as both yours and the parent comment. A true knowledge economy is what I would expect as the result of a "nano-factory" revolution. How much you know and what you know could be as valuable in direct terms as how much you earn is today in dollars. I am sure I have heard this discussed in more detail before. Probably on HN. Obviously we are several generations removed from such an event as the cultural shift would be profound. I don't think any of us would like it, me included. I always feel dumb so imagine I'd be part of the lower class in this world.

bksenior 13y ago

Came here to say this, but take it further. Power is a function of survival and reproduction odds improvement. It may be that something else begins to shift that balance, but that flaw will never go away. We are just animals.

lifeisstillgood 13y ago
I fail to quite grasp what both of you are arguing. Power is desired in scarce societies when lack of power means lack of sufficient resources for survival and reproduction Where those resources are available to all, then power be ones a function of aberration not necessity With sufficient mobility and abundance invasion and tyranny will become like beating up water. Recently a guy in Syria asked advice on best European country for asylum. He had a job remote in Australia, so whilst looking like a refugee he was actually just moving house. Imagine is everyone on Syria right now had that option. What if one day they gave a war, and everyone just left.?