In article <3dfqvq$4vm@planchet.rutgers.edu>,
Ian_Taylor@a2w.maus.de (Ian Taylor) wrote:
<material deleted>
> Consider this: what forces would control and evolve the market if all
> products were free to the consumer?
At least a couple of science fiction stories & novels have been based on this premise. The one that comes to mind is "The Midas Plague." I think it's by Mack Reynolds. It definitely pre-dated nanotech. He assumed (a) very good recycling and (b) a significant amount of cheap energy (fusion, for example). Nanotech disassemblers fulfill the first requirement. Nanotech avoids the second, to some extent.
The story supposed that since current market forces try to increase consumption, even with scarcity costs, then new market forces (which would evolve from current forces) would try to increase consumption even more. The whole system is designed to produce large quantities of goods cheap. So, to keep the system running, everyone must consume heavily. Thus very fast fads: change your clothing & furnishings daily. Result: a truly CONSUMER-oriented society.
If goods are actually free, then STYLE may become a major reason to acquire items. As someone else said in this discussion, better designs will be what people pay for, not the goods themselves.