SoulBiter wrote:...Today in the 1st world, its still possessions.
So, lets say we change that.. the cultural backlash is going to be incredible. Those that 'have' will not want to let go, those that don't, might also not want to let go because they want what the rich have? What will we do with our time? With limited resources (and they are limited) how do we define what people can and cannot do if 'money' is no longer how we keep track of what you are 'able' to do.
Money will continue to mark out what you are 'able' to do. What I think will be different is how we gain access to that money. Those that work will gain more money (at the cost of their time) and so be able to do more 'expensive' things (e.g. go into space). Those who don't work will get less money, but will get to do other stuff (if they want) which requires time rather than money. This is where education comes in. As Vraith pointed out upthread, with enough time people can do amazing things, the trick is for them to be made aware of that (and the value of it). If they are taught (like now) that only money and 'success' are valued by society, then when there is no useful 'work' for them to do that are going to feel valueless.
Rawedge Rim wrote:Think of it this way:
If people are not longer required to work in order to provide for the basic necessities (food, clothing, shelter,), then I wonder what the drive is going to be to learn anything beyond how to run the electronics and speak the language. There are vast amounts of people who would happily sit there, unable to read, write; deficient in history, science, math, geography, etc., as long as there was food, beer, and entertainment sitting in front of them. At least at present the drive to improve ones station in life provides the impetus to learn more, strive for a better job, send your kids to college for increased oportunity, etc.
This is an extremely valid point and for me it highlights an aspect of our current system where we are trained (through advertising) to be good consumers. The problem is, if that is all we are trained for (and if there is no other impetus to peoples' lives) then what we'll get is what you describe above. This is where new thinking and new directions are necessary.
And it is something like this that I am talking about:
aliantha wrote:We're all smart, thoughtful people here. Let's come up with our own definition of "worth" that doesn't have anything to do with money and/or what we own. Because if we can agree on that, then we've got a goal to shoot for when we start transitioning to the no-jobs era. Right?
I'll start. "Worth," to me, has to do with the sort of person you are. Are you kind? Do you help others (not just write checks
)? Do you try to minimize your footprint on the Earth?
This is a good start. It is this kind of thinking that will have some chance of preparing people for what is ahead.
I'll have a go:
- 'Worth': is enhanced when any of the incredible potentials that we embody are developed, activated and actualised in our lives and thus our society.
- 'Education' is the nurturing of the individual's awareness of the full range of the potentials that every human being embodies.
- 'Society': is the place where the potential of each human being is cherished and valued in and for itself, and in nurturing that potential society is constantly enriched and developed.
I know this sounds more like stuff that is talked about in the Close, yet in relation to this topic, it seems to me, that there is a need to expand beyond the usual concepts.
u.
) along these same lines. The discussion sprang from a blog post by a business consultant. In the post, the guy imagines what would happen if everybody in the world got $10 million at birth, held in a trust fund until their maturity. He believes that taking money out of the equation would change a lot of things -- for one thing, war would become less attractive once the profit motive was removed -- but we'd have (conservatively speaking, I think) several generations of upheaval between our current society and that Brave New World. 
And you did bring it up here. 
)
