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by djrj477dhsnv 308 days ago
Do you really want to live in this "post scarcity" world? With no effort required to meet your needs and desires, what motivation will you have to do anything?

Kaczynski's warnings seem more apt with every year that passes.

7 comments

I want to live in the post scarcity world. Given that we are headed into an ultra-productive world, I prefer by miles a world without scarcity over a world full of scarcity because the elites are hoarding the resources, and the only way to provide for oneself is by outcompeting the machines that already produce at zero marginal price, but only for the elites.
Plenty of weathy people do things, not because they have to, but because they want to

Plenty of retired people carry on doing things too

Here is another view: some of them maybe do things to perform richness. And others are probably so bored that they just try new extreme things, but nothing fills that inner void. I can't get no satisfaction.

Or maybe not. I'll never know.

so the only way to get that inner satisfaction is to do work that you hate? is there another option I'm missing here?
Most people find work that directly addresses their basic needs fulfilling to some degree. Things like growing your own food, hunting, building and maintaining your home, etc.
and they can still do that if food is available for free. in fact people today put enormous amounts of effort into growing their own "organic" food instead of buying the cheap stuff from supermarkets. I don't see why that wouldn't still do it when it's essentially free.
I'm practically living in a post scarcity situation - my work is stuff I'd do for fun anyway, other than a bit of paperwork now and again. nothing is compulsory if you want to do it anyway. even then I only need to work part time to survive.

the rest of the time I spend studying and doing sports. I've tried doing nothing - but boredom is actually worse than work.

what I really want is for other people to also be in a similar situation. I also want to be able to afford to just not work for 6 months and travel the world - but I've got a mortgage to pay. so I think further reductions in scarcity in my life would not reduce my drive to do, learn, experience one bit.

I suspect that most people would be the same if they weren't accustomed to not having the energy to look after themselves and growing their mind.

People dedicate their lives to making realistic paintings despite being able to buy a far more accurate camera for a few hours of work. I’m not hugely convinced that we should worry about work to stay alive and sheltered.
It doesn't solve the problem that people want what other people want.

In a "post scarcity" world we will figure out how to make certain things scarce and more desirable. Then people will start gaming the system to try to acquire the more expensive/scarce items. Some will even make it their life mission to acquire the intentionally scarce items/experiences.

Basically, the same situation we have now.

Look, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

Kaczynski didn't invent any of these ideas, or even develop them, instead of citing him, why not cite... Literally any other person with them whose mind wasn't blown out by LSD and a desire to commit random political murder.

You're doing your point a disservice by bringing in all of that baggage.

Perhaps there are more original or precise sources for the ideas. I've read Jacques Ellul, for example, but for someone not well versed in philosophy like myself, Kaczynski is more accessible and well known.

I don't agree with many of his conclusions or actions, but I have no problem judging the good ideas he advocated on their own merit.

>Do you really want to live in this "post scarcity" world?

Yes.

>Kaczynski

You're citing a psychopathic terrorist who murdered 3 people and injured a further 23.

>what motivation will you have to do anything?

For one thing, freedom from self-appointed taskmasters who view Kaczynski as a source of inspiration.