Quote from: westkybitcoins on December 12, 2011, 06:25:55 AM

Let's presume an idealized RBE. Practically unlimited energy. Star Trek replicators. Everyone has their own. Forget how we get here... the discussion isn't that interesting (mostly speculation,) and since it's theoretically plausible, it's not really relevant how we get here.

We don't need to think Star Trek to talk about RBE. It does not need any Star Trek technologies, in fact RBE can be applied to a society of any level of technology. There have been tribes and communities in the past that had RBE mindset, they shared what they had and they knew that overfishing etc. is unsustainable, so they didn't do it. Of course if we apply RBE to the whole economy of the modern world, we need advanced technology. But unlimited energy and replicators is not a necessary part of it, the point of the whole system is the intelligent use of our scarce resources.

Quote

(1) How do I acquire all-natural done-by-a-human oil massages? (Yes, I'm serious.)

This is a good question. I think that in transition to a RBE type system you would need transitional methods. One of these methods could be timebanks, which are essentially a bartering system but they work perfectly for services such as massage. I've never claimed that it's a straightforward path to remove barter, it will be a very slow process and perhaps we never get rid of all barter. But I think that even this can change if we live in a type of "gift economy" for long enough, people just give you massages without expecting anything in return.

Quote

(2) As a highly sought-after masseur, what would incentivize me to give massages to anyone besides close friends or loved ones? (I'm being precise; not "why would I", but "what would incentivize me.")

Possibly nothing and no one could force you to do it either, because it's unlikely that anyone has anything that you necessarily need. If they do, then there could be trade. Regardless, I see this direction as the right way to go. A lot of the bad jobs today are still there because the employees are forced to do something to secure their livelihoods. With an RBE type mindset we would try to solve the issue in other ways.

Quote

(3) What stops someone from quantifying the incentive (even in a crude, vague fashion) and then accumulating more of the incentive and making an industry out of that incentive?

I see a need for timebanks in the beginning but in general it's hard for any trading system to become anything but a small part of the society. It's important to remember that even stuff such as drugs would be 100% legal, all of them, so no black market can be born out of it. There are only a few niche markets where such a market could be born, and it's okay if it does.