Enthusiasm.World enthusiasm.world

Netflix. Wikipedia. 3D Printers. What do these things share in common? They're harbingers of a post-scarcity economy: a civilization in which most goods can be produced in abundance with minimal human labor needed, so that they become available to all very cheaply, for rent, or even freely.

A ubiquitious example of this is Spotify. For $10/month, it's possible to stream unlimited music. Just twenty years ago, one couldn't buy a CD at that price. Where will the next 20 years take us? How might a post-scarcity economy alter the fabric of society?

What about our attachment to work, the need for something to DO in order to feel useful? Are we rushing headlong into a crisis of meaning that could result from dramatically shorter work-weeks or optional employment?

What steps can we take today to facilitate this potential future?

Can you even imagine a world in which goods are freely available? Wake up, turn on printer, request... breakfast and new toothbrush?

Our group met at Berlin's popular Klunkerkranich venue to speculate among the evening bustle.

People, Places, Things mentioned:

Car2Go - car sharing service
Pierre Bourdieu - French sociologist
Star Trek
Altered Carbon - TV series
"Bullshit Jobs, A Theory" - book by David Graeber
Craigslist
Berlin BVG metrolines
Universal Basic Income
Peter Singer - Australian philosopher
Effective Altruism

Anarchy has been given a bad name.

Tolstoy said so. Sort of.

The venerable Russian writer stated that "Anarchy is a form of government in which public and private consciousness ... is alone sufficient to maintain order and guarantee all liberties."

Our modern renaissance man, Elon Musk, has recently stepped forward and stated that he's a "Utopian Anarchist".

And what about this blockchain buzz? Tech has paved the way for a civilization in which many systems could be decentralized, suggesting forms of anarchy.

We surmise that anarchism is making a comeback. But would we want this? For many, the philosophy is still associated with Molotov cocktails, looting, bad graffiti. What's to be embraced, what's to be left behind?

Is the word too stigmatized? What if we called it... self-governance?

Let's demystify (debug) anarchy and consider its potential for present and future generations. As Noam Chomsky once said: "We shouldn't be looking for heroes, we should be looking for good ideas."

People, Places, Things Mentioned:

Noam Chomsky
The Idler
Tom Hodgkinson
Leo Tolstoy
Elon Musk
"The Purge"
Greece & Aiding of Refugees by Anarchists
Dr. Daniel Dennett
Jesus
Two Fellas Brewery

"I exist! I exist!"

Ah, to be seen and heard.

Ego, the mediator of conscious and subconscious often tied to feelings of self-importance, has urged us to accomplish amazing feats with the promise of esteem. But have we reached a precipice? Are our "masks" tripping us up? What's your understanding of ego?

Tag the waveform with your own comments & theories!

People, Places, Things mentioned:

Tempelhofer Feld
Louis CK (comedian)
Iñárritu's "Birdman" (film)
MF Doom(masked rapper; not Madlib as Rouben referenced)
Sigmund Freud
Donald Trump's ego
Jimi Hendrix
Jim Morrison
Batman

Theme Music by user lifeplanetearth (audiojungle)
Narration Music: "Snowy Forest" by Kabbalistic Village + strange-day.com