You are presented with an opportunity to choose between two distinct options for a post-scarcity life. The parameters of each option are as follows:
Option 1: Earth
Live anywhere you want on Earth, with the condition that space is limited and must be shared equally with others. You can have whatever you want, as long as it can be produced by a replicator. If your friends and family live on Earth, you can visit them in person. However, you will be subject to the same limitations and constraints as everyone else on Earth, in regards to space and legal codes that bind you (that are decided democratically).
Option 2: Customised Continent
You will be allocated a portion of a habitable planet, up to the size of a continent (but it can be as small as you want) with the ability to customise the environment to your liking, including:
- Biome (e.g. temperate, tropical, desert, etc.)
- Approximate gravity (within reasonable limits)
- Sun color and type
- Geography (e.g. mountains, valleys, coastlines, etc.)
- Other environmental factors that make sense
You will have access to the same replicator technology as Option 1, allowing you to produce anything you need. You will be part of a planet with 1-7 other continents, each inhabited by other individuals or groups who have also chosen this option. You can interact with them if you wish, but it is not required. However, unless you invite others to join you, you will only be able to communicate with loved ones on Earth (or anyone else not on your planet) via video call. You can invite others to join you, but then you share agency over what happens in your continent with them.
Which option do you prefer?
Option 2
Not that I dislike 1, but between me being on the spectrum and having experience living alone in a foreign country w/o family for close to 10 years (and literally could only talk with family using video chats), I think I would be much more competent than the average person on living in the latter… Which also helps free out more space for ppl in option 1
I’d have to go with shared earth, as tempting as it sounds to have anything I want. Relationships over material possession, always.
The last sentence changes this, you can video chat with people on earth and then invite them to your continent as equals. Could just get your friends and family on with you. Could even find new people online and invite them once you know them.
Continent, finally doing what I want without other people
Earth baybe, I love a whole lot of people.
Someone’s been reading Asimov.
I have read Asimov, but I didn’t think it was what inspired the question. If it had to be any SciFi novel, it’s more likely to be Singularity Sky
Option 1: communist utopia Option 2: DnD in Reality, war war war war war war
So if I get this right: live with others with society moral constraints, or live by (mostly) by yourself and do the fuck you want?
2 is tempting but I know after a while it’s going to be a problem (I like being by myself but it’s not healthy).
So I’d take 1 with holidays on 2. Unless I can also decide population on 2. I don’t need “loved ones”, I’d like someone to have a drink and do stuff IRL with sometimes.
Custom. I’d be fine with shared, but I’m an introvert at heart. And, since the 7 other people are humans, odds are good there’d be fairly regular contact, because introverts or not, apes are social creatures.
Custom continent.
