this post was submitted on 06 Dec 2023
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Risa
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Define "post-scarcity". You can't replicate everything (without programmable matter, anyways...), and some raw materials are needed to build the replicators. And latinum is a rare commodity, though I don't know why it's so value beyond its scarcity. Greed will always be there as long as some things remain scarce yet required for a functioning society.
Latinum is only valuable outside of the Federation, where societies are not post-scarcity.
Now, before you argue that there are no material conditions demanding scarcity in (some of) them, I’ll add that artificial scarcity is scarcity nonetheless.
In societies outside the Federation, where they don't have replicators, things have value due to being able to use them for other purposes. Latinum has never been shown to be used for any other purpose except to trade. Its not clear why a useless material is considered valuable, except for the fact that its rare.
Says a huh-man that uses paper to trade...
That paper is at least backed by the GDP of my country.
That reminds me of that joke:
Two economists are walking side-by-side.
One tells the other: I’ll give you $100 if you take a shit on the pavement.
He proceeds to shit on the pavement and grab the $100.
He then tells the other economist: I’ll give you $100 if you eat my shit.
The other does the deed and collects his $100.
After walking a few more blocks, one of them says: both of us left our dignity with that work back there and neither of us are any richer!
To which the other responds: no, but we grew our combined GDP to $200.
And they both walked away happy, patting each other on their backs.
The point is that we understand the actual paper has no value itself. It's the commitment of the government backing it that has the value.
Latinum is valuable because it can’t be replicated.
Yes, but beyond its scarcity, what other purpose does it have? Lots of things are rare and can't be replicated, but their value comes from the need to use them for some purpose such the ability to build other things that you wouldn't be able to build otherwise. Latinum has never been shown as anything more than a currency with nothing behind it to give it value.
What value does gold have other than it doesn’t rust and it looks pretty?
It’s the same thing essentially. Latinum looks pretty and can’t be replicated therefore it’s a good currency.
Gold is used in a variety of applications. You're likely holding a device filled with gold right now. Even before the computer revolution, is was still used in medical applications. There are tons of uses for gold that don't involve currency.
Yes it does have applications nowadays but when gold was used as a monetary store we didn’t have electronics. Gold was mainly used because it is shiny, easily workable, rare, and never corroded.
It was shiny, easily workable, and didn't turn your skin green. As a jewelry metal, it was much more valuable than as a currency. It had uses other than just money...
The microgram of gold in my phone pales in comparison to the gold used in jewellery or hoarded.
Yes, but again even by your own admission, it has uses other than just currency.
You missed a big advantage of gold: for most of human history, gold was the densest material known to man by a wide margin, making it very easy to verify that a piece of purported gold is real.