Do humans of the 24th Century really work to better themselves?

[GENERAL_DS]

I remember a ferengi DS9 episode where Quark mentions Bolian currency fluctuations. So you can also say that it is canon (dangerous word though) that not the entire federation is without any sort of currency.

I do think that earth has no need for the traditional sense of money. I would recommend a sort of luxury credit to keep everyone from walking into the best restaurants and the owning personal holodecks etc. However, i do not think citizens that fall under the local earth laws (if they even exist) have to work for food, housing, medical care and education.

Humans could work for those luxury credits and they couldnt, who cares about owning a boat, humans are said to not be materialistic. To make the luxury credits not like money they should only used for gaining currency like GPL (gold pressed latinum) and only the things that are still considered scarce.

PS: What is considered working in Star Trek might not be considered worthy of earning money in our reality.

 

[The Wormhole]

I remember a ferengi DS9 episode where Quark mentions Bolian currency fluctuations. So you can also say that it is canon (dangerous word though) that not the entire federation is without any sort of currency.

If you want to follow strict adherence to canon, then never has it been definitively stated that Bolians were members of the Federation. In fact, a deleted scene in TNG actually stated there were not.

For the record, I believe Bolians are Federation members, since 55% of the ones seen in all Trek were Starfleet officers, civilians working for Starfleet, or posing as a Starfleet cadet. However, canon is not on our side in this argument.

 

[T'Girl]

If you want to follow strict adherence to canon

The argument could be made than neither Trill nor Betazed are members either.

There was a reference to Vulcans using money, a couple for the Bolians and one for the planet Qualor.

Picard's "we" when it comes to don't have money or don't use money might not be that large a group. Not the Federation and perhaps not most Humans.

It's screenwriting shorthand.

It's Picard ducking a direct answer, instead he went off on a tangent unrelated to the question asked of him. Lily never inquire about the acquisition of wealth.

So why did Picard bring it up completely out of the blue?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was no hunger or no want

But what's the best way of accomplishing that? A healthy economy with near universal employment would be one option, people would provide financially for themselves and their families.

Also a certain amount of "want" can be a good thing, it provide drive and motivation.