Monday 17 August 2015

star trek - How do people in the Federation know how much they own if there is no money?

There is nothing stopping a 'really fat guy' from getting more food than a really skinny guy. There is nothing, in the Federation, stopping anyone from getting as much food as they need or want.



Star Trek, TNG in particular, is set in a post-scarcity economy in terms of the essentials of life, thanks in large part to replicator technology making food provisions and other life necessities trivial to come by.



People in this future no longer work to earn their means to live - they work for self-improvement and self-actualization, and what we see (at least in Starfleet, since the show's primary focus is there) is a society that rewards merit and hard work with opportunities rather than wealth. The distribution of essential resources is a solved problem.



This is referenced numerous times in the series.




"A lot has changed in the past 300 years. People are no longer obsessed with the accumulation of things. We've eliminated hunger, want, the need for possessions. We've grown out of our infancy." The Neutral Zone, TNG




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Captain Jean-Luc Picard: The economics of the future are somewhat different. You see, money doesn't exist in the 24th century.



Lily Sloane: No money? You mean, you don't get paid?



Captain Jean-Luc Picard: The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force of our lives. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity. Actually, we're all like yourself and Dr. Cochrane. - Star Trek: First Contact


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