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thoughts on post-scarcity

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Rupus Reinefjord 2025-08-15 16:10:20 +02:00
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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<style>
* {
box-sizing: border-box;
overflow-wrap: break-word;
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main {
max-width: 36rem;
margin: 0 auto;
}
h1 {
margin-bottom: 10px;
}
code, kbd {
background-color: #ddd;
}
.asterism, footer {
margin: 2rem 0;
text-align: center;
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pre {
overflow-x: auto;
background-color: #eee;
border-radius: 5px;
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</style>
<title>Reaching post-scarcity</title>
</head>
<body>
<main>
<p><a href="/">Index</a></p>
<article>
<header>
<h1>Reaching post-scarcity</h1>
<small><time>2025-08-15</time></small>
</header>
<p>
An argument I've heard against socialism/communism/anarchism is that
any such society would only work once we've reached post-scarcity.
The mechanism to make post-scarcity happen, they argue, is
advancements in technology and automation of work. Tech and
automation is advancing under the current dominating economic system
and we only need to keep it functioning well enough until we can
produce everything everyone needs, and that will bring about a better,
maybe post-capitalist (?) society.
</p>
<p>
Capitalism does help advance technology and automation, no question.
Will it bring post-scarcity? I doubt it. Capitalism needs scarcity.
The beloved formula of <i>supply and demand</i> does not work if
supply is saturated.
</p>
<p>
There are many examples of artificial scarcity today: planned
obsolescence, throwing away unsold goods, patents, copyright, (lack
of) right to repair... Even unemployment is artificial scarcity of
work, a concept essential for capitalism to function. Abandoning
scarcity for the good of mankind seems an unlikely goal of capitalism.
</p>
<p>
Assuming that capitalism would somehow, when production is efficient
enough, cease to be or take on some other form where every person's
needs are met, there's another issue: Capitalism requires economic
growth.
</p>
<p>
This growth has, thus far, been closely associated with greater
exploitation of resources. We
(primarily
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_North_and_Global_South">the global north</a>)
are
<a href="https://ourworldindata.org/consumption-based-co2#consumption-based-co2-emissions-per-capita">using more resources</a>
than
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Overshoot_Day">what is sustainable
for a single earth</a>. Seeing as the global north has not yet
reached post-scarcity, how would capitalism be able to bring humanity
to post-scarcity
<a href="https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/climate-change?Metric=Temperature+anomaly&Long-run+series=false&country=OWID_WRL~ATA~Gulkana+Glacier~Lemon+Creek+Glacier~OWID_NAM~South+Cascade+Glacier~Wolverine+Glacier~Hawaii~Arctic+Ocean">before the climate collapses</a>?
I see no other possible conclusions than:
</p>
<ol>
<li>Post-scarcity is not possible, or</li>
<li>Post-scarcity is not possible under capitalism.</li>
</ol>
<p>
The latter seems more likely.
</p>
</article>
</main>
<footer>&#10086;</footer>
</body>
</html>

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<h2>Thoughts</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="/blog/2025-08-15_post-scarcity.html"><small>2025-08-15: </small>Reaching post-scarcity</a></li>
<li><a href="/blog/2022-05-09_this-website.html"><small>2022-05-09: </small>This website</a></li>
</ul>