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RE: Why Steem Means the Decline of Capitalism and the Rise of the Collaborative Commons
Liked the concept Prosumer. It is really difficult to visualize the concept of producing many useful things with no marginal cost. Maybe because I have an old school way of looking at this.
I do agree that there are many other motivational factors for humans which can be influenced to produce something. In Maslow's hierarchy of needs the top level which represents "self-actualization" is a powerful motivation. The urge to be a part of something big and be at the giving end can be something which revolutionizes the way we make things.
I hope this blockchain revolution does great things for humanity and I am happy to be a tiny part of it.
Thanks, @dev. I agree, the zero marginal cost thing is hard to grasp. It's not that things actually get to zero, it's just that they approach zero. Music is a pretty good example. An artist can make a million or a billion digital copies of an album for about the same cost as making 10 or 100. Yes, there are some fixed cost up front, but once those are covered, the cost of making more approaches zero in the digital realm.
I understand. I don't see it for many consumer products clearly. But, I do believe with automation, cost of producing one additional unit will come close to zero. I understand the economic view.
While reading the article I was visualizing car manufacturing. I was able to see raw materials, machines, etc as cost. That is why I mentioned I was finding it difficult. But, the article above makes a great attempt to establish the new concepts as well as convince the reader. Thanks a lot for the interaction. See you around.
Yah, I suppose it will be a while before large things like cars approach zero marginal cost. But thanks to 3D printing, nanotech, etc., many small things will. When I need new shoe laces in the future, I'll be able to hit "print" and create some almost for free. Eventually we'll have 3D printed cars and homes, thought that's admitedly decades away.
It's almost like you are welcoming me to the future. Wow, future looks like the world with endless possibilities. Now I can see your point better. Thanks for taking time to share your vision.