Green Leopards and Purple Wages

I recently read an article about the future of the economy. The writer believes we are headed towards/already in a post-scarcity society, in which money loses its value because almost everything is available for free. Although the state of affairs predicted is contingent on material surplus of the kind granted by mythical cornucopias, it could occur within this century.

A similar scenario is envisaged in the Hugo Award winning novella Riders of the Purple Wage, which was prompted by the 1964 "Triple Revolution" memo. Citizens are entitled by birth to salaries from the government, so work is unnecessary. This leads to the elevation of art in society, presumably because otherwise-unemployed people partake in creative activities.

A possible solution can be found in the Nebula Award winning novella The Green Leopard Plague, in which the eponymous genetically engineered virus allows people to photosynthesise (and have green patches on their skin). This meant that food was no longer an essential resource. The eventual abundance of other commodities lead to the worthlessness of money. In such a society, labour itself becomes valuable, and serves as a currency instead of money. To that end, people are taxed in terms of labour (measured in calories) by the government.

These readings definitely question the place of money in our world. If it is your raison d'être, you might be in trouble when the future happens...