Reaching post-scarcity
- -- 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 that would 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. -
- -- Capitalism does help advance technology and automation, no question. - Will it bring post-scarcity? I doubt it. Capitalism needs scarcity. - The beloved formula of supply and demand does not work if - supply is saturated. -
- -- 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. -
- -- 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. -
- -- This growth has, thus far, been closely associated with greater - exploitation of resources. We - (primarily - the global north) - are - using more resources - than - what is sustainable - for a single earth. Seeing as the global north has not yet - reached post-scarcity, how would capitalism be able to bring humanity - to post-scarcity - before the climate collapses? - I see no other possible conclusions than: -
- --
-
- Post-scarcity is not possible, or -
- Post-scarcity is not possible under capitalism. -
- The latter seems more likely. -
- -