Money, money money, isn't so funny, not in this world anyway

[JasonChapman]

I’ve made a couple of posts now on this forum, and have been more than pleased with the comments I have got back off people, I’m an easy going guy so whether someone has a go at me for saying something they don’t agree with or does agree with my posting I’m okay with it, I do not see the point in getting angry.

Anyhow, here’s a question which I hope firmly belongs in the Space ‘Business’ and technology section of this forum.

Why should we put a price tag on mankind’s future in space?

I have made two postings now ‘First Interplanetary spaceships’ And ‘Deep space radio telescope array’ Which are in the scifi section for those who haven’t read them yet. Both posts have generated a good share of replies. After reading through them I have noticed that they have one thing in common, and that is the subject of money seems to creep its way in. It’s too costly to run, launch, research.
I know we live in the real world, and that the world economic crisis looms over everything at the moment, but is that a good enough excuse to hold back on everything. No pictures of spaceships or telescopes, with this post, just a straight up question.

I look forward to hearing from anyone about this.

 

[nimbus]

So long as manufacturing is ruled by economics, money will decide what happens. The bondage in labor of all people on the planet is the price tag that humanity is paying to earn its way to post-scarcity.
As far as why not more people are adding their small effort to the whole enterprise, e.g. wasting most of their time from craddle to grave on ephemeral and meaningless pleasures, or refusing to donate more than a fraction of a percent on space development, it's IMO mostly because they don't know better or have no hope of seeing significant change happen in their lifetime. Fundamental self-interest principle at work.

 

[kelvinzero]

Remember it not just money, it is somebody else's money

I would be willing to pay 20% of my income to putting a colony on mars if the rest of the race/country/whatever was willing to do the same.

 

[emudude]

We began with barter and trade, then moved in with notes which "promised to pay" the bearer a set amount of a precious metal (i.e. gold), then moved into fiat money which certain governments are all too happy to endlessly print out...in order to see your vision come to fruition, we will need a radical change in how the economy exists...it has to evolve to the next stage.

Right now, we use money to receive goods or services, and blindly accept the fact - because we are told to - that the magical pieces of paper which we hold onto have the power to secure these goods and services, because they are equal in value to one another. We are in an economic recession, and millions of jobs are being lost because there aren't enough magic pieces of paper allowing businesses to provide goods or services to the supporting populace. How many fancy pieces of paper are actually required when a team of skilled workers put together a car? I definitely don't see any...I see the time invested by the workers, the physical materials used in the car, and whatever means is used to power the processes used to manufacture the car. Essentially, what I am proposing is that the next step in the evolution of the human economic system is instead of 'money', we need to consider only 'energy', because that is what physically exists. As long as there are people available to consume and the energy is there to make products/services available to consumers, then there is absolutely no reason for anyone to starve because they lack a fancy piece of paper. We have vast resources of energy which could be used to get many spaceflights going, but we just don't have the economic system to support this kind of vision right now. As long as things are measured in terms of dollars and cents instead of in terms of what is physically possible, we aren't going to make anywhere near as much progress as we could be.

 

[kjmalc]

Remember it not just money, it is somebody else's money

I would be willing to pay 20% of my income to putting a colony on mars if the rest of the race/country/whatever was willing to do the same.

Do you think we can be alive when where there?

Money is for the earth only...

 

[kelvinzero]

Im going to hazard you mean: 'could we achieve it in our lifetimes' rather than more gruesome interpretations.

I think we could get a base with a few people in it in our lifetimes easily. I doubt the population would be large enough that I would have a chance to go. It would still be worthwhile to me.

 

[StrandedonEarthsince1970]

As long as there are people available to consume and the energy is there to make products/services available to consumers, then there is absolutely no reason for anyone to starve because they lack a fancy piece of paper.

The reason people starve is because they lack food, either because they are not willing work at growing food or for the people who have the food. Sometimes their land simply won't grow food. My point is that I would happily bend metal to build a Moon colony, but unless someone will feed and house me while I do so, I will starve. The "fancy piece of paper" says that I have done work worth exchanging for something else, be it food, shelter, or a 100-inch HDTV. Some would argue that some people amass lots of those pieces of paper without really doing anything for them, and that is the major flaw in the system.

Are you going to hand out food to someone without proof that they deserve it? No? that's why we have these "fancy pieces of paper." We can get rid of money when robotics are capable of doing everything, including building the factories to build more factories to build robots that build or do everything we want, let alone need.