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RE: Thoughts, Words and Photos (Eighteen)
Take away the risks inherent in the requirements to survive and mental movement stops.
Not so fast 8-). There are quite a few people who, in a situation where there are no more survival risks, turn to science, engineering, art, and so on, and are quite active mentally there. One could even argue that if we were somehow to eliminate survival risks, at least a subgroup of people would show a wave of creativity unrelated to immediate survival, much like Einstein holding down a steady job providing for his basic needs so that he could use his mental skills for something else.
Ah, I see this is another type of survival though where they are looking to solve for unknowns, improve upon quality, express their ideas better etc. I don't think the risks have to be physical survival but imagine if everything was provided and all of those you named instead decided to consume entertainment only.
This is a pic I made for an old post:
I find it hard to imagine that everybody would revert to consuming entertainment only, even when many would. I know I wouldn't, so all I wrote could be a severe case of projection 8-).
Besides, who would then provide the entertainment?
As I said:
You assume that in a system where survival needs are taken care of one would still depend on others who provide for you. That is not necessarily the case.
If a community could come up with a way to provide for what is needed for survival in an automated way (sorry to veer off towards Star Trek 8-), then there would be no dependence on "others", but survival as a stimulus for mental agility would be out the door.
Either way, while some would revert to an almost vegetative state and become the ultimate consumer, many would still think, develop skills, and be creative, simply because many enjoy that. Hence hobbies.
Survival as a sole, or even the most important, motivator for having skills, thinking, and being creative is far too limited a model. It greatly depends on the circumstances you find yourself in, and leaves out things like curiosity, creativity, the built-in need to do and make stuff, etc. we are also equipped with.
I would be interesting to see what would happen in a post-survival, post-competition, cooperative society. It goes against the grain of the economic belief systems popular on Steemit, but that is a Good Thing. It is a shame an experiment is a bit difficult to set up 8-).