Introduction
Here are a few base assumptions about the near future
Abundance
The current society is a plentiful one, and the plenty will only grow. “Technology – which is the product of capitalism – has birthed a new concept on ownership, on nature of work and a creation of product value, but also a new role for the state, and these are leading us to a new economy, that is post-capitalism, in which products that cost nearly nothing are distributed nearly for free among networks of manufactures that fulfill each other’s needs” (Paul Mason)
Further reading:
Changing the face of employment
Today, most of the people between the ages 15-65 are employed. In the USA, for example, the current unemployment rate (December 2016) is approximately 5% (in fact, it is possible to say that a state of full employment exists). Even in countries which high unemployment rates, like Spain or Greece, most of the population is still employed. But the state of Spain or Greece, and other countries that have high unemployment rates, is a warning sign for what’s to come. The employment market is changing fast. In some places, technology replaces jobs in a faster rate that it creates them, which leads to an increase in unemployment rates.
Further reading:
Motivation
Humans work both because they wish to (inner motivation), and both because they have no other choice (external motivation). Today, most people work because they have no choice. If they don’t, they will live in poverty. Only few have the privilege to work in the field that they wish to work in. And that means a serious harm to productivity.
Further reading:
Addiction to consumerism is the main reason for ecological problems
Consumerism, or consumer culture, is a social and economic order that encourages people to buy products and services in an ever-increasing amount, and a culture in which the central value is the acquirement of money and financial power at any cost, as well as the public & extravagant demonstration of such wealth. In consumer culture, consumption is perceived as something essential and positive, and there is no attention to the effects of the products, their lifecycle, or the process of their manufacture, whether it involves depletion of perishing resources, pollution, worker exploitation, etc. Per this culture (as per the theory of neo-classic economy), the purchase of more products makes people happier.
We have a duty to leave a habitable planet for the next generation, and that is why we need to change the consumer culture.
Pictured: ''Politicians discussing global warming'' (Cordal Isaac)
