With unlimited EVERYTHING we quickly came to normalise systems that were extremely convenient, beautiful or fun, but whose resource cost would previously have represented a poor or inefficient usage of resources.
If you can literally fabricate as much gold as you want from nothing, with no effort cost to anyone and no environmental footprint, and if you can dispose of your waste completely cleanly, why not have a silly room made out of gold? Or a PALACE of gold, if you have unlimited space?
See what I'm saying? Everyone knows that earning more money makes your spending creep up to match. With no limits on energy or material resources, our entire mode of living would change.
@matrix @Anthiese @brother @toast Not necessarily. Depending on how one defines things, it is possible in reality. It’s just hard. Consider a near future where electricity is reasonably cheap and 3D printers are even better and more versatile than they are now. Where you could 3D print most physical objects in reasonably acceptable/useful forms. We’re not going to be 3D printing laptops or desktops any time soon, but the desk they sit on and the tools used to make them are achievable. Same goes for other things of similar complexity. What stops that is cost of energy and that 3D printers and related tech aren’t quite there yet. It isn’t unreasonable though to see a future where they could be. Just a question of when
@wolfie @Anthiese @brother @toast How though? Video games don't follow laws of physics.
3D printing is cool, but you still need the material to be premade for the printing. What 3D printing allows is easier prototyping and easier low volume runs. Which make no sense for stuff like chairs and desks which literally everyone needs thus they are not a low volume run. It's also probably easier just to build the desk by hand.
Energy is already pretty cheap, but even if we used 100% renewable, you still need to build the solar panels, wind turbines etc.
What you are describing is just moving manufacturing to a different place and possibly making it less efficient.
@matrix @Anthiese @brother @toast I think it goes to how one defines things. If one defines it as “Most people in most situations can have most everything they want/need with relative ease” with a trend more towards “need” than “want”, then it is probably mostly achievable with current or near future tech. If one defines it as “No one wants for anything. Everyone can have what they want with relative ease”, then you need near magic Star Trek 24th-century level tech. Since that definition can only realistically be met with replicators and all that goes with them
@wolfie @Anthiese @brother @toast What Alex described in modded Minecraft is Star Trek level tech, but if you define it as “Most people in most situations can have most everything they want/need with relative ease”, I would argue the west is already there and I don't see why 3D printers are needed for that.
@matrix @Anthiese @brother @toast Probably aren’t needed for it, but wouldn’t hurt. You’re probably right in that we’re close, in the west, but I’m not sure how close we are. Certainly closer than other parts of the world, but I’m sure someone could rock up and offer counter examples pretty quickly