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Thank you for the very thoughtful response.

someone still has to produce food, goods, and services

What if those doing the work are robots?

What if those doing the work are robots?

If we make robots more capable than us, eventually they will figure out how to get rid of us! Something like our grandchildren will do for not getting rid of the Social Security Ponzi scheme back when we could have.....

Robots and their components must be produced. Even if we eventually get to a point when we have robots and computers to do just about everything that might even remotely be defined as "work," as others on this thread have pointed out, somewhere in our societal structure human beings will have to exert control and direction. How would that be done equitably?

The nature of all species on this planet, including humans, is to compete for survival: lead or be led, kill or be killed, eat or be eaten, attract a mate or fail to contribute to the gene pool. Simply because human beings have become "civilized," built cities and wonderful machines, does not mean we are immune from the basic life forces that drive all living things. It just means we manifest them differently now than we did in more primitive times. Even if we eventually evolve a worldwide equitable distribution of food, goods, services, and resources so that no one on the planet is either poor or rich, and none of us has to pay money for what we need, among us there will still be:

natural leaders and followers,
those who are malcontents and disgruntled about some thing or cause,
those who hate others on any number of grounds,
those who want more than they have and are willing to steal, lie, cheat or kill to get what they want,
those who are naturally competitive, talented, beautiful, whatever — such that they obtain greater rewards from the society than "average" people do,
those whose jealousies, emotions, temper get the best of them and they bully or kill others.

The point being: just because everyone who lives in Utopia has all of their material needs met, doesn't mean that every individual will be content to just sit back and enjoy all that leisure time. There will always be the predators and prey among us. Unless we figure out a way to change human nature, we will always need some means to maintain order, prosecute crimes, ensure that all those robots are doing what they are supposed to be doing, etc. As long as some are in a controlling position, they will expect more compensation for their efforts. The minute someone gets more than the next guy, the illusion of "equity" is shattered.

Heck, even the many Utopian visions that abound in science fiction always envision some kind of planetary government, or a super-government of many planets. In order to get back to a truly communal society, you always have to come down to small family or tribal units. I, too, wish it were otherwise, and it's something I'm making a note to ask God about if I ever have the pleasure of meeting Him.