How would a society with no money work?

Also, the Ferengi worshipped money. Gold-plated latinum ring a bell?

 

I think Gene stated that physical money had been eliminated. Credits and debt service substituted...

 

It's mentioned many times thru the franchise that people don't cook very often and eat replicated food at home all the time. I think it's intended that people have replicators in their home.
I always thought that the utopian future of Trek having plentiful resources was a nice dream, but there are bits that are puzzling.
Such as the wait staff at Sisko's father's restaurant. Who would wait tables if they didn't have to? I've heard theories that people would do it because they'd want something to do. I can see people taking on callings like medical work, or artistic/creative jobs, but it still strains credibility to me that anyone would wait tables or any other labor intensive service job without the necessity of payment as incentive.
And then there's real estate. Beach front property is highly desirable, but that's a very limited commodity? How do they figure out who gets the beach front home and who has to live in a little apartment?
I could see the basics being provided to any loafer who wanted to coast thru life living on replicator rations in a small apartment, but work credit putting you in a lottery for better housing, etc.Really a nice one bedroom apartment with free unlimited replicator access and library computer, health care, general social utopia without violence, crime, prejudice etc still sounds pretty fantastic.

 

You mean currency? Because that's what "credits," "quatloos," "gold-pressed latinum," and everything else like it is.

 

I assumed the credit was electronic, but after some research, Gene emphatically stated that there was NO form of money nor credit in the Trek universe by the 23rd Century.

This, however, is contradicted by the very term Federation Credit as adopted by the UFP and other refs that list the cost of the Constitution-class starships as costing several billions of credits.

Btw, Quatloos and GPL are metal-based.

 

I think only reference to the Federation Credit in 24th century is in the context of UFP making a deal with the Barzans. It is possible that it is medium of exchange UFP uses when dealing with outsiders, not something used by UFP citizens. (The cost of Constitution class starship is from a book and not canon. It also doesn't make sense that a ship would be thousands of times more valuable than what UFP was willing to offer to the Barzans for the wormhole.)

 

There could be waiting lists.

 

Or it is easier to move to a colony with an unspoiled beach front.

 

Even allowing for colony worlds I still think there would be real estate hot spots.
It's still nice to think Trek's future would work those things out. Trek's idealistic future is a great comfort and inspiration to me, even if I can't figure out their economy works.

 

Thanks, but is the Spock pay in credits also non-canonical? I think over 600,000 credits for 5 years served...

 

That would be in the 23rd century.

 

At least in the Mirror Universe they used the Terran Imperial Credit...

 

Yes, it's from a comic.

 

Tell me about it Nyotarules!

In my area, homeless near a freeway can make $100/day easily which is $3k per month or $36k a year. No taxes, free Govt cell phone and service, motorized bicycles, free healthcare off the taxpayers, and no accountability. All they do is drugs, drinking, littering, starting fires, commuting crimes, and reproducing. I know a guy in his 50s with 9 children by 4 Street women in 9 years! He brags about it and doesn't take care of any of his kids!

The ST universe never really accounts for all the people that would take advantage of society and even other species to scam, cheat, rob...

And where are all the Terran criminals and warmongers?

The ST rose colored glasses need to come off IMO.

Humanity has progressed, but has never really changed since Cain killed Abel.

Liked your point on racism too.

 

I like the point on racism, too - but I don't think it's likely to totally eliminate racists, because it's a logical argument, and racism isn't based in logic. I think there would still be some very few race supremacists (or people against specific races, like anti-Semites) - they would just be regarded by everyone else as being like we regard flat-earthers, only slightly more in need of watching.

 

Well of course "aliens" have powers beyond ours. There's no such thing as aliens - the Bible didn't say God made other worlds, just the Earth for the white man to rule - so they're all obviously demons empowered by Lucifer.

It hurts my brain to try to think like that - but for some, it comes all too easy.

 

That was a story, comparing two fictional universes tends to lead to further arguments around here.