"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch"
Here's where #TANSTAAFL first appeared in Robert Heinlein's 1966 scifi novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress -
"Oh, 'tanstaafl', Means ~ There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. And isn't, or these drinks would cost half as much. Was reminding her that anything free costs twice as much in long run or turns out worthless."
"An interesting philosophy."
"Not philosophy, fact. One way or other, what you get, you pay for."
Such is our universal human premonition. The general consensus says that nothing should be given out for free without proof of work. Hand-outs contain hidden social costs, and that needs to be compensated. Resistance within the flow of social interactions is required to distribute wants and needs over longer periods of time.
Such abstract resistance gives rise to currency. Cash, money, and all its forms. Rulers of the old world used it to ration resources, preserving their own coffers. New world governments are no different. The #TANSTAAFL phenomenon must continue, symbolic to the century-long disputes that has been going on for capitalism, communism, socialism, anarchism.. and so many other isms.
The only real catch here is money.
Scientifically, #TANSTAAFL simply means that the universe is a closed system. Every action has a reaction, and our lunches must come from something else exhaustible. Everything comes in limited quantity.
Economically, #TANSTAAFL explains opportunity cost. You need to sacrifice something in order to get something else. You can only get something for nothing if you have previously gotten nothing for something. If somebody gets something for free, somebody else is actually going to pay for it. The abstracted social cost urges us not to give hand-outs to someone that "doesn't deserve it".
#TANSTAAFL may be a sound aphorism, but it divides us and limits our imagination. I believe that every sociopolitical ideologies are noble in its intent, but lacking technical solutions to achieve its aspirations. Like communism back in the days - how do you provide food and shelter for the masses? It was socially and technologically impossible back then.
Capitalism with all its speedy, haphazard shuffling of resources all over the world has undoubtedly brought us accelerated technological progress. Especially with all its concentrated, institutionalized efforts. With so many leaps and bounds in cost reduction, surely #TANSTAAFL is not so much of a thing anymore? But It still lingers.
Albert Einstein once said "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them". Maybe it's time to tear down the words and labels that we use to divide ourselves. Such limitations in human thought necessarily puts limitation to our human freedom.
There is no one size that fits all. And surely there is no such thing as a utopia, The kids of tomorrow would want something different. What remains is for us to start developing enabling technologies and social constructs to empower any individuals to live freely. For freedom to begin, #TANSTAAFL must be solved.
Here's the good news - the world is already moving towards eliminating the notion of #TANSTAAFL.
Because people are inherently good and awesome.
Everyone loves free stuff. Let's not deny that. It doesn't matter which sociopolitical spectrum you fit right in. We definitely don't mind free stuff - most of us were born into this world clueless and taken care of.
Alright before you jump your gun calling me a commie bastard, allow me to expand on the idea of what is free. Below is the trivium of free stuff:-
Free calories: These are life sustaining products. Energy, food, water, shelter.
Free carats: You don't really need them, but they are essential for diversifying human activities.
Free love: Think about your friends, family, lovers. But love will only be free when a person is free.
In fact, free is the reason why you're here on Steemit. To free yourself.
So what are the market forces in the world currently on its way to consolidating the trivium of free stuff? Here's the list of socioeconomic pressures, enabled by progress in technology.
Cryptocurrencies: Governments no longer define your set of values. With cryptocurrencies, you have the choice in dealing with a web of crpytocurrencies to define your own set of values. Decentralized exchanges will mean less friction, minimizing loss in the shuffling of values across social networks.
The Sharing Economy: This goes from open source projects and DIY circles, to decentralized social constructs that enable sharing. Think about distributed manufacturing (3d-printing), in-house farming, library of goods, university cities, social networks, and timeshared properties. All without governmental coercion.
Renewables: Total abundance renders monetary value obsolete. Think about renewable energies, recyclable 3-d printing materials, and individual / communal farming. The hard problem of free calories, carats, love - to be solved or to be solved in one fell swoop. Renewables are going to change the world for the better.
Global, Decentralized Forums: Such as Steemit, mankind is beginning to consolidate humanly issues all around the world, from first world to third world problems. This will in turn the general consensus with clearer paths for progress.
Space-Ventures: We can start sending terrorists to outer space. They can be kings in their own planets. Jokes aside, a space-faring focused civilization would foster cooperation, and be inspired by the wealth of options and abundance available throughout the universe.
Without worries about self-sustainability, people can begin to put more time to continuously learn and build on their many passions. We are currently at the cusp of the free lunch revolution, and I'm sure some of you have already begun to feel its effects.
Contrary to popular belief, handouts do not demotivate individuals. Being in a socially-conscious society with enabling technologies, we are now far better equipped with the insight to decide on our paths. And it's not quite like a handout on Steemit.
Subjective proof of work is vetted by the social network, compensating you for your effort. Handouts are misleading. It is better to call it personalized incentives - the product of many intertwined socioeconomic innovations, providing the net effect of basic income (true work/play paradigm).
Have free lunch, will make the world a better place.
What if I tell you that's the only work that anyone needs to do?
Personally, I think everyone has their own value. If you think about the Dude from The Big Lebowski - what are his values? Does he deserve a free handout? After all, he has no part in the many human dramas and technological progress made by others around the world. So do you. The sun and planet never asks you for money, not even a single penny. Only governments and rent-seekers do that.
And here's one thing about lazy bastards. A man with ambition can be bought, corrupted. The unambitious man can never be bought. The unambitious man will be an anomaly, just like The Mule. Even Hari Seldon could never predict such a thing. The unambitious man may be the black swan of the world's power order.
And hey, who's not lazy every once in awhile?
In a better world, Earth and all its resources are our common heritage. Energy-unlimited cryptocurrencies running on top of a material-limited resource-based economy will certainly be an interesting proposition. The backbone of such an implementation should not be based on coercion. But rather, a technological yardstick that runs in the background for any individuals / communities deliberation.
Money is just fiction, a global delusion that everyone shares. Remember that currency is the abstract representation of social interactions, of minds speaking to each other. That is where the real money lies. Power to change our value system comes from within.
It's not there isn't a free lunch. The fact is, there isn't such a thing called money. Only human values.
So are you going to accept freedom and free lunches?
Spent more than 50 hours trying to pen this out, exclusively for Steemit as always. Your support will give me more opportunities to come up with materials like this. Hope you enjoyed it!
@kevinwong