X-Message-Number: 10901
Subject: Re: Scarcity
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 13:28:43 -0500
From: "Perry E. Metzger" <>

> From: 
> Date: Mon, 7 Dec 1998 18:54:02 -0600 (CST)
> Subject: The death of money - reply to Timur Rozenfeld
> 
> Money IS a medium for exchange in TRADE.

> When automation produces all goods and most services, and humans are
> unneeded, TRADE will die. 

You have very little imagination.

So long as there are limited numbers of atoms and energy in the
universe, and so long as no to objects can be in the same place,
some entity will doubtless covet other entities resources.

> What will you buy in 2098 with any money I give you that you don't
> already have?

I want to keep expanding my brain. I'll keep needing more matter to do 
that with.

> The planet is very large and made of matter.
> 
> The solar system is pretty big also.

If I want to make my brain the size of jupiter, the planet won't have
enough resources for me. The solar system stops looking particularly
good in this respect, too.


> The need to "settle accounts between us" (money as a medium) requires limited 
resources.

You have no imagination. You can't see why people would want to do new
things, beyond what is done now. Even completely obvious needs like
resource demands for raw computation are beyond the scope of what you
believe in.

Perry

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