When earthlings get around to settling the moon and other planets, should the economic model up there be socialism, communism, capitalism, or some combination?
Let’s say that earth finally inhabits either the moon, or some planet nearby. It would be a closed environment, in the sense that immigration and emigration would likely be more difficult than it is on earth.
What economic model would work in such a controlled environment? Capitalism where there are limited resources would seem to be a recipe for tyrants and government by the wealthy. Communism is dangerous for roughly the same reasons, except it would lead to a rapid decline in standard of living.
What’s the best economic model for life outside of earth?
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It’ll be some new flavor of socialism and representative democracy. We can assume technology will allow most people to be self-sufficient and make a lot of the old issues we have with gov’t a moot point.
What it will be is some form of corporate feudalism, led by a new class of techno-aristocrats, especially on farther away planets that will eventually be beyond the direct control of terrestrial corporate dictates. With the corporate class being in direct control of life support systems and supply chains for basic necessities like food and water, normal people living on those planets will experience a new age of serfdom that even the peasants of yore, who at the very least were able to live off of the land they cultivated, could not have dreamt of in their wildest nightmares. And there will be no Douglas Quaid to overthrow the tyranny, with the slogan “Give these people air!”.
That is, after all, why Elon Musk wants to move to Mars: to control his own fiefdom, free of restrictions by such things as human, or civil rights.
So many variables, it’s hard to say. Are the planets being founded as new, unique entities? Are they going to be licensed to different companies to sell or lease property up there? Are they only going to be scientific establishments first? Are some countries going to set up military installations? Are we going to see multiple countries setting up multiple colonies? All those variable change the answer to this question.
At first it will probably be some ph.d.‘s later than I don’t know.
My feeling is we will never colonize off-planet, but let’s go with your premise for fun. If it is a small population I think it will be like a small village where everyone helps each other. There will be some type of money or points, but more like a barter system. I guess a mix of socialism and capitalism, heavy on the social cooperation part.
The thing is, to get to the moon or another planet, that would be facilitated by either government, private industry, or a very wealthy owner. So, that would make one of those entities like a king or dictator, the people might have very little power over who or what governs them.
Can we just do a medium sized island on Earth? That seems better to me. I’ll be in charge.
Based on the current trajectory of space exploration, it’ll be hyper-capitalist neo-feudalism. Imagine going to settle on the moon as an employee of GE and then fighting and dying in a lunar war against Amazon so shareholders can get an extra 3% on their dividends that quarter…
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