Star Trek Economy

[The Viceroy]

I was chatting in the office (as you do) about economics, and was wondering what would happen if tomorrow, everybody agreed that they would work for free, and would freely offer whatever service they supply.

My company British Airways would probably find like all airlines, that they were fully booked (for free of course), and would have to get loads more planes to cope with the demand.. but would there be enough planes ? would people just stop working all together, and the entire economy would ground to a halt very quickly ?? or after a few months of getting up at 12 and doing nothing all day, would people return to work (or find work they actually enjoyed).

What then of services like waste disposal, sewage treatment .. I find it hard to believe anybody would actually want to work for the joy of it in this industry ?? or would they ??

In the end, I think I came to the conclusion, that people would just start reverting to old habits, and start bartering .. illegal stuff like drugs would still have a value !

So if we are not ready for such an economic model .. will we ever be ?? will there be a level of technological progress which would allow this system ?? or is it as likey as most of the other stuff in Star Trek like teleportation, warp drive and of course time travel .... plain impossible.

[Az]

Star-trek stuff will happen when manufacturing of everything quickly doesn't require an assembly line, and is generally very cheap. Also, energy is very cheap.

[The Viceroy]

But what about sewage systems ? people will still need to clean the toilets ?? or are we saying we would have to reach a level of technology which means all meanial tasks are delt with automatically ?

[Kidlicious]

Re: Star Trek Economy

Originally posted by The Viceroy
My company British Airways would probably find like all airlines, that they were fully booked (for free of course), and would have to get loads more planes to cope with the demand..

Why would they buy more planes? Are you saying that we decide to produce infinite goods and services even though we know that we don't have the technology to do so?

[Az]

But what about sewage systems ? people will still need to clean the toilets ?? or are we saying we would have to reach a level of technology which means all meanial tasks are delt with automatically ?

Yeah, pretty much. It's not as far as you think it is, though.

[DanS]

Even if you didn't ration by price, you would have to ration by some other means. For instance, the commies try to ration by force.

Even when everybody is showered with material and service goods through automation, we will have to work some to pay the bills. Otherwise, the system wouldn't work. We wouldn't be able to decide who gets particular goods and who doesn't, or indeed which products should be provided.

Over the last century, the free industrialized world has decreased its working days in a week by about 1.5. Sometime in the future, we will move to shorter work weeks, with it taking an increasingly long time to remove each day (i.e., moving from 6 days to 5 days is a 17% reduction, but 5 days to 4 days is a 25% reduction, and so on).

[Az]

Even when everybody is showered with material and service goods through automation, we will have to work some to pay the bills. Otherwise, the system wouldn't work. We wouldn't be able to decide who gets the particular goods and who doesn't in a self-sustaining manner.

"to pay the bills"?

What bills? With plentiful energy, there is no need for bills.

[DanS]

You would still have to ration, because it's not an unlimited resource. As the energy becomes more plentiful, it will become cheaper, of course. And when things become cheaper, you have to work less to pay the bills, etc.

[Japher]

The replicator (which probably separated the waste) made Star Trek's economy stable enough to fashion all the other industries. Most needs and wants on a personal level were taken care of. Thus, what is left?

Transportation - bigger, better, faster is a human desire
Geology, Mining - the thrill of discovery
Artisans - self graditude
Medicine - no level of technology will take the place of the need for health

[Az]

Ok, so I'll ration. what's your point? Rationing is only bad when it is a genuine limit on consumption. You can only eat that much and have that many electric appliances in your house.

[DanS]

I don't think there's any limit from human nature on how many electric appliances in your house. Just look at the **** in Americans' homes.

Remember, in your system, the appliances would be free as well.

[Az]

I don't think there's any limit from human nature on how many electric appliances in your house. Remember, in your system, the appliances would be free as well.

So? And yes, I think there is definetly a limit. It's huge, but that doesn't mean that it's infinite.

[DanS]

Well, eventually, you would have to ration the space on planet Earth in ever more draconian fashion. As it is now, you're giving out land for free (how that works, I'm not quite sure, but...).

[alva]

Or ration the total of humans on earth.

[Az]

Well, eventually, you would have to ration the space on planet Earth

We already do that, by severly limiting construction rights.