These ideas (negative income tax/minimum income) have been proposed for decades by classical liberals / libertarians as a replacement to the welfare state, and

These ideas (negative income tax/minimum income) have been proposed for decades by classical liberals / libertarians as a replacement to the welfare state, and (less often) as a supplement by progressives. This distinction is critical. But, I'd wager that many libertarians (like myself) would happily match the total welfare spend + proposed minimum income on a per person basis as long as we cut out the middle-class bureaucrats and administrators. It will be hard to reach consensus for the reasons Sam mentioned, but not impossible, since some elements are supported by otherwise diametrically opposed politics. I much prefer the debate be between libertarians & progressives (or even anarchists & socialists) than the center-left and center-right. > But this still doesn’t address the fundamental issue—I believe most people want to be productive. I'm not too worried about that people will be lazy or feel alienated due to not being productive. Science and Technology are not the only outlets for human creativity: my prediction is that we will see a flowering of the Arts and Recreation: more music, more writing, more painting, more sculpture, more sports & games etc. This will enhance all of our lives .. As an aside, I think its a mistake to measure the delta in wealth distribution primarily in terms of assets. Technology, while increasing wealth disparity in measurable ways, often decreases it in immeasurable (and more important) ones: for example, wikipedia vs encyclopedia britannica.