Abundance economy

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An abundance economy is an economic state in which most goods can be made available in an almost infinite supply with minimal human effort. As a result, every demand can be satisfied, and the state of the economy is no longer characterized by the conflict between the unlimited needs of economic agents on the one hand and the limited resources available on the other. In an affluent economy, however, there can still be shortages to a limited extent : it is only necessary that all members of society can meet their basic needs, as well as a considerable part of their desires for goods and services, without great effort.

The basis of an economy of abundance would be the unlimited availability of resources, possibly the unlimited possible conversion of resources (e.g. by replicators ), which could lead to an approximately unlimited availability of resources. Since this fundamental factor has not yet existed, the economy in abundance is still considered a utopia .

The stationary economy represents an ideological contrast to the abundance economy .

Models

Speculative technique

Futurologist to "post-scarcity" (about today Post scarcity speak, the economic state of abundance economy), often conceive economies in which the auto manufacturer, for example by means of autonomous mobile robots , resulting in that theoretically all goods in abundance can be produced, provided there are enough raw materials and energy available. Speculative forms of nanotechnology , such as molecular assemblers or nanofactories, could in principle produce all desired goods in abundance (on the basis of appropriate instructions and provided that raw materials and energy are available); this notion leads many nanotechnologists to hypothesize an abundance economy. With a view to the near future, there are also assumptions that the automation of physical labor by industrial robots could lead to an economy of abundance.

Other ideas of the abundance economy are based on increasingly versatile forms of rapid prototyping , as well as hypothetical auto-replicative 3D printers ( see: RepRap ). Adrian Bowyer , proponent of auto-replicative machines and inventor of RepRap, claims that the sales price of auto-replicative machines will not exceed the long-term price floor, since every buyer can bring an infinite number of other auto-replicative machines onto the market and thus keep the price to a minimum ( see: equilibrium price ). The same therefore applies to all other products that can be manufactured with the help of auto replicative machines.

Despite fully automated production, the amount of goods produced would remain limited by the (limited) availability of raw materials and energy , as well as any effects on the environment from industry . Proponents of technological abundance often fight to make greater use of renewable energies and to recycle them more so that possible bottlenecks in energy and raw materials can be counteracted and in order to limit environmental damage to a minimum. Solar energy in particular is becoming more and more relevant here, as the costs for solar cells are falling and could continue to fall in the future - especially if they were to be produced by auto-replicating machines.

Furthermore, raw materials from space are discussed from time to time. Asteroid mining , for example, could counteract the scarcity of metals such as nickel. At the beginning the asteroid mining might have to be done by human hands; Advocates, however, have the hope that the mining of metals can then also be taken over by auto-replicative machines very quickly. In this case, the investment would be limited to a single auto-replicative machine (whether robot or nanotechnology is irrelevant here). The number of possible copies that this machine could then produce would only depend on the availability of the raw materials required.

Marxism

Karl Marx enlivening basic human needs would enable the labor required. Consequently, society will at some point reach the point at which “the surplus labor of the masses [ceases] to be a condition for the development of general wealth” ( Grundrisse VI, p. 601), so that all individuals would have considerable amounts of free time to do the Pursue science, art, or creative activities; Some later commentators described this economic situation as “post-scarcity”. According to Marx, the wealth of a capitalist society - a society that owes its growth to accumulation - is based on the exploitation of surplus labor , whereas a post-capitalist society would allow "the free development of individualities":

And therefore not reducing the work time necessary to do surplus work, but generally reducing the necessary work of society to a minimum, which then corresponds to the artistic, scientific etc. training of individuals through the time and means created for all of them. ( Floor plans VI, p. 601)

Under the Marxian idea of ​​a communist society, the wealth that automation enables would lead to the free distribution of goods. As the forerunner of the fully developed communist society, Marx postulated socialism - an economic form that replaces capitalist accumulation with socialization . Socialism should enable progress by means of increasing automation and increasingly free distribution, up to a fully developed communism.

Post-Scarcity Anarchism

Murray Bookchin designed in his 1971 collection of essays Post-Scarcity Anarchism (dt .: anarchism after the shortage ) an economy based on social ecology, libertarian communalism, and based the wealth of fundamental resources. He puts forward the thesis that post- industrial societies can develop into post-scarcity societies. According to Bookchin, such a development would “enable the fulfillment of social and cultural potentials that are latent in abundance technology”.

Furthermore, Bookchin claims that the expanded industry made possible by technological advances in the 20th century pursued profit- detriment to people and environmental sustainability . The accumulation should be no longer regarded as a necessary condition for the liberation, and concepts such as the state , social status or political parties are no longer necessary, but only obstacles that the struggle for the liberation of the working class are in the way.

See also

Web links

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Peter Wiles: Abundance economy and full communism . In: Eastern Europe . tape 11 , no. 10 , 1961, ISSN  0030-6428 , pp. 713-722 , JSTOR : 44902404 .
  2. ↑ Sadler, Philip, 1930-: Sustainable growth in a post-scarcity world: consumption, demand, and the poverty penalty . Gower, Farnham, Surrey, England 2010, ISBN 978-0-566-09159-9 .
  3. ↑ Robert Chernomas. (1984). " Keynes on Post-Scarcity Society ." In: Journal of Economic Issues, 18 (4) (English).
  4. ↑ Karen Burnham Issue: June 22, 2015: Space: A Playground for Postcapitalist Posthumans. In: Strange Horizons. June 22, 2015, accessed January 16, 2020 .
  5. ^ Sienna Barnett, The Scarcity of Resources and Unlimited Wants: How We Fulfill Unlimited Wants by Limited Resources . In: Number-1, November 2018 . tape 1 , no. 1 , November 30, 2018, ISSN  2618-1118 , p. 59-66 , doi : 10.35935 / tax / 11.6659 .
  6. ↑ Four Futures ( en-US )
  7. ↑ Michael A. Peters, Simon Marginson, Peter Murphy: Creativity and the Global Knowledge Economy ( en ). Peter Lang, 2009, ISBN 978-1-4331-0426-8 , p. 11.
  8. ^ K. Eric Drexler: Engines of Creation . Doubleday, United States 1986, ISBN 0-385-19973-2 .
  9. ↑ Negotiating the Nanodivides . In: New Global Frontiers in Regulation . August. doi : 10.4337 / 9781847208729.00014 .
  10. ↑ Marcus Wohlsen: When Robots Take All the Work, What'll Be Left for Us to Do? . In: Wired , August 8, 2014. 
  11. ↑ Tobias Haberkorn: Future of work: In the machine party evening . In: The time . February 13, 2018, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed January 18, 2020]).
  12. ^ Sadler, Philip .: Sustainable Growth in a Post-Scarcity World: Consumption, Demand, and the Poverty Penalty. . Taylor and Francis, 2016, ISBN 978-1-317-04779-7 , pp. 75-76, OCLC 1018168034 .
  13. ↑ To Interview With Dr. Adrian Bowyer | The Speculist ( en-US )
  14. ↑ https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/wirtschaft-konsum/wirtschaft-umwelt
  15. ↑ https://www.erneuerbareenergien.de/archiv/anlagenpreise-sinken-bis-2030-auf-fast-die-haelfte-150-436-88875.html
  16. ↑ https://www.deutschlandfunknova.de/beitrag/weltraumbergbau-ressourcen-aus-dem-all
  17. ↑ https://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/24/asteroid_mining_economy/
  18. ↑ Bob Jessop, Russell Wheatley: Karl Marx's Social and Political Thought, Volume 8 . Routledge, 1999, ISBN 0-415-19330-3 , p.  9 : "Marx in the Grundrisse speaks of a time when systematic automation will be developed to the point where direct human labor power will be a source of wealth. The preconditions will be created by capitalism itself. It will be an age of true mastery of nature, a post-scarcity age, when men can turn from alienating and dehumanizing labor to the free use of leisure in the pursuit of the sciences and arts. "
  19. ↑ Wood, John C .: Karl Marx's economics: critical assessments. . Croom Helm, 1991, ISBN 0-415-06507-0 , pp. 248-249, OCLC 633366831 .
  20. ^ Call, Lewis .: Postmodern anarchism . Lexington Books, 2002, ISBN 0-7391-0522-1 , OCLC 51812804 .
  21. ^ Post-Scarcity Anarchism . AK Press . Retrieved August 1, 2016.