What would happen if everything was free?

Question

If everything didn't cost anything, what would life be like?

Answer 1

Nice thought, but if everything was free? There would be on incentive for anyone to get up in the morning and go to work because everything would be free.

Therefore nothing would get done, no business would open and no manufacturing plants would make products.

Like I said, nice thought but completely unworkable.

Answer 2

Well it depends on different things.

If we had machines to give us everything we have now, with no cost (as in, no damage to air, water or reduction in the earth's resources or cost of human labour) then we would partly be stuck at the current level of wealth.

People would still get sick and die, so human effort would be required to advance humanity in this way. But other than that it would no problem. Perhaps we wouldn't be worried about this development too much. For example, if you consider the culture of pacific island people. They had such an abundance of food and the weather was always warm, so they never had to move or struggle. They eat when they are hungry and find fat girls sexy. They didn't develop their cutlure further because they didn't need it. While in the dark and middle ages in Europe everything fell apart, but people didn't forget how to make steel weapons.

On the other hand, if god turned up and gave us anything we wanted it would be a different story. Get sick, god cures us, want to be taller, sexier, etc, God will provide. Then we are free to live as we please.

But cost is not about no money. Money is just a measure of value. So if things are free there is still a cost. Communism where the government distributes the wealth according to ability and need has the problem of corruption and high level of human resources achieve this.

Only Chairman Mao tried to do away with money and failed.

When Australia was first colonised they forget to send money. So instead cash, people paid in sex and rum.

Answer 3

We would all have the same car, the same type of house, the same medical care whether or not it was good. I would love to live in such an idealistic society, but because too many people in today's world are selfish, they would lack the incentive to do anything good, such as research, get the medical degree they need to work in your hospital, there would be no such thing as a sports car, we would all either drive a basic 4 door sedan or some type of van. We wouldn't be allowed to complain when the person at McDonald's messes up our order because hey, its free.