this post was submitted on 19 May 2025
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There is no issue with rewarding work with luxury while still providing everyone with the necessities to survive - such as a basic home and food.
Besides, you can reduce unemployment by just reducing working hours. 40 hours per week is way too much frankly. Why not 30 or even 20? That way everyone has more free time which results in better health and more productivity.
People would have time to debate political issues. Their job wouldn't take the biggest part of their life so they wouldn't link their identity with their job. Social customs would change so that the people who should work 40 hours for the benefit of all prefer other jobs. Scarcity of applicants would also shift the power towards the employees for wage negotiations.
It's possible and could improve society massively, but too risky for the current business owners to implement on their own.
Yes the first thing to cut out is the "unearned income".
Higher income linked to real work / productivity is unlikely to be as big a problem unless the higher paid/skilled workers start gathering market power and controlling stuff (unearned income like a monopoly premium).
But the original thought experiment seems cart about horse to me - the work and product comes first, coins come along second to make it easier to specialise and trade.