Wealth is unlimited.

[Anonymous]

There is no pie, except only when it is mandated by coercion, by parasites who control, regulate, admonish and tax whatever trickle of wealth they wish to flow into the system -- and it is administered to whomever pleases their whims and desires.

When wealth is unleashed, left to all who come across it -- the people -- it builds exponentially. Men will invest their Capital, people will grasp the Capital and they will build to the ends of the Earth with said Capital until every desire is filled! As long as there is desire, there is wealth and prosperity!

Only when wealth is strangled and choked to irrational overhead, bureaucracy, corrupt incentive and ABSOLUTE WASTE is there starvation and death!

No man sits on wealth and lets it remain stagnant and rot! That is in no benefit to him or anybody else! Why keep it when it can be built for himself and others!?

Capitalism is charity. The best damn charity on the planet. Growth without hinder! Those who act with irrational greed and selfishness will be left to the slaughter by those who gain value from the human condition! Humanity can and has thrived unmanaged! We are a powerful species and never has a ball and chain, shackle on limb have made us stronger.

We are man, we are rational and we can build! DO NOT LIMIT US!  

[YoYa]

You are one scary 17 year old.

Protip: All the hot chicks are hippies, you might want to tone it down on the hard core capitalist ;P

[grod]

Except for one minor problem.  Energy is not free and unlimited for us with our current technologies.  If we had limitless power, sure, absolutely.  Time of scarcity is over.

Until then, you are simply wrong.

[Hawker]

You are one scary 17 year old.

Protip: All the hot chicks are hippies, you might want to tone it down on the hard core capitalist ;P

Is Atlas 17 ?  I thought he was worried about where he will send his kids to school ?

[LokeRundt]

You are one scary 17 year old.

Protip: All the hot chicks are hippies, you might want to tone it down on the hard core capitalist ;P

I myself am married to a beautiful AnCap woman, so there.

Hippy chicks are too flaky, IME

[J180]

You are one scary 17 year old.

Protip: All the hot chicks are hippies, you might want to tone it down on the hard core capitalist ;P

I suggest the opposite, debate them!

Actually to be more specific, I don't suggest arguing for any extreme ethical systems. But rather things like arguing in favor of GM food, which is a great way to show off science. Or use political discussion to show off knowledge about history. As long as you can do it without being rude, it can be more successful tactic then agreeing with them.

Except for one minor problem.  Energy is not free and unlimited for us with our current technologies.  If we had limitless power, sure, absolutely.  Time of scarcity is over.

Until then, you are simply wrong.

It can depend how you view the words. If research and development is counted as work then it can be thought of as unlimited.

[LokeRundt]

You are one scary 17 year old.

Protip: All the hot chicks are hippies, you might want to tone it down on the hard core capitalist ;P

But rather things like arguing in favor of GM food, which is a great way to show off science.

You can argue in favor of Zyklon-B for controlling Semite populations.. . .lots of science in that too, but not likely to impress hippie chicks.
*Personal experience* using science to show why astrology is bogus does NOT get one laid (with hippie chicks)

[Sovereign]

You're bound to see some idiot come in here and use words like "excess wealth" "increasing rich-poor gap" "fairness"

[Anonymous]

Except for one minor problem.  Energy is not free and unlimited for us with our current technologies.  If we had limitless power, sure, absolutely.  Time of scarcity is over.

Until then, you are simply wrong.

Sure, it's scarce but with enough improvement we can get by with a fraction of it.

[Sovereign]

Except for one minor problem.  Energy is not free and unlimited for us with our current technologies.  If we had limitless power, sure, absolutely.  Time of scarcity is over.

Until then, you are simply wrong.

This is stupid. We never run out of resources in a free market system. Why? The price system prevents that. What happens is when supply gets low, prices start to go up, and people use less of it. What happens when oil supply becomes low? Alternative energy sources start to become viable.

[imperi]

Except for one minor problem.  Energy is not free and unlimited for us with our current technologies.  If we had limitless power, sure, absolutely.  Time of scarcity is over.

Until then, you are simply wrong.

Sure, it's scarce but with enough improvement we can get by with a fraction of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale




Energy consumption has been increasing exponentially since the dawn of man.

[benjamindees]

Sure, (energy is) scarce but with enough improvement we can get by with a fraction of it.

Total global energy consumption has never decreased (even temporarily for a period of more than five years) in the history of mankind.

e: Beaten like a CPU miner

We never run out of resources in a free market system. Why? The price system prevents that.

Of course *someone* never runs out as long as they can afford it.  But *you* are likely to run out as soon as the price of food exceeds your ability to pay.

[Anonymous]

I see no issue with the increase. There's not enough incentive to increase efficiency yet. Well, there might be but its hindered due to other factors.

[benjamindees]

There's not enough incentive to increase efficiency yet.

And what is it you think we're going to just "increase efficiency" of?

Even if you assume something stupidly simple like insulation for houses, there are limits to the returns.  Insulation requires resources to create, distribute, and install.  It has a finite lifespan.  It takes a long time, probably several years, to roll out on a large scale in a cost-effective manner.  And it takes even longer for this investment to pay off.

So, no.  The next time energy prices spike, you're not going to see people rolling up their sleeves to make anything more efficient.  You're going to see wars and people dying.  You're going to see a forced drop in consumption and living standards.  In fact you're probably going to see this pretty soon actually, since absolutely nothing has been done to "increase efficiency" since the last time energy prices spiked, except for a bunch of taxpayer theft and subsidized waste.

[Anonymous]

Patents, the department of energy and various other things prevent sufficient innovation. If people want true efficiency, it will happen. Actual innovation is a lot cheaper than war. It's just not people, it's businesses. If the businesses have no incentive because of subsidization and such, then it really lowers consumers options.

It's a matter of common sense: Again, if people want efficiency and there are no barriers, it will occur.

It's not a matter of thinking in our current paradigm but harnessing energy from things such as undiscovered noble gases or even powering our devices with just the vibrations of our bodies.

[Litt]

There is no spoon.

[J180]

You are one scary 17 year old.

Protip: All the hot chicks are hippies, you might want to tone it down on the hard core capitalist ;P

But rather things like arguing in favor of GM food, which is a great way to show off science.

You can argue in favor of Zyklon-B for controlling Semite populations.. . .lots of science in that too, but not likely to impress hippie chicks.
*Personal experience* using science to show why astrology is bogus does NOT get one laid (with hippie chicks)

I have different personal experience. Perhaps it's like shaving, with different techniques work depending on the person.

[AyeYo]

Only 17? LOLOLOLOL  That explains everything.


Unlimited wealth shot down in one link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_of_mass

But here's another for good measure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_of_energy

[Arrow]

Except for one minor problem.  Energy is not free and unlimited for us with our current technologies.  If we had limitless power, sure, absolutely.  Time of scarcity is over.

Solar technology is advancing very fast, and pays itself off eventually making it economical (in the long run).  There are funds that will loan money for the panels, and ask for a portion of the electricity savings essentially eliminating risk and ensuring everyone a bit of savings/gains.

As other limited energy sources shrink in supply people will switch over to solar, the faster the limited sources dry up the faster the switch, all the while the solar panels are becoming more economical with technological advancement.

[nazgulnarsil]

energy scarcity is artificial.  see LFTRs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHdRJqi__Z8