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To: Sherman Logan
I understand this is a concept difficult for most to imagine. This is because human society has existed since its inception in scarcity. The whole purpose of a market is to decide who gets scarce resources. But what if, as an intellectual exercise, we posit a world where “stuff” is not scarce? Can a market exist in the absence of scarcity?

I dispute that there CAN be such a world. There will ALWAYS be scarcity of something. What will change is what that "something" is.

By the standards of 2000 years ago, we have the ability to give everybody all the wheat they want. But people today now want iPads, 4K HDTV, Lexus cars, etc, etc. As our ability to produce has increased, our ability to WANT has also kept pace.

There are very finite limits on the amount of prime beachfront property that is not subject to technological advances. Likewise other kinds of prime land. There are limits to how much available energy there is (without frying the Earth in waste heat), etc.

In an immensely wealthy world, do you seriously contend such people should be allowed to starve simply because they aren’t needed any more by the productive economy? Is this in any way their fault?

Please note that I never said anything about letting them starve, just not giving them an incentive to have 10 kids.

253 posted on 05/11/2014 1:58:22 PM PDT by PapaBear3625 (You don't notice it's a police state until the police come for you.)
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To: PapaBear3625
OTOH, It's good to want...
259 posted on 05/11/2014 6:52:44 PM PDT by null and void ( They don't think think they are above the law. They think they are the law.)
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