Lee Daniel Crocker wrote:
>
> No amount of technology or social structure will ever get rid of
> the drive to learn, to work, to achieve a little more than your
> neighbor.
I agree with the drive to learn and create part.
I'm not sure economic competeition will be as much of a drive for everyone in the future as it is today. Richard Stallman could have made a mint on the programming innovations he created, but instead he put them in the public domain and started the free software movement. There are other ways to acheive status aside from economic advantage, and my guess is that the future will see more people who work primarily for distinction and recognition.
> Even if you're idly rich today, eventually the economy
> will grow around you to the point that you'll have to go back to
> work at least once or twice a century to keep up.
Well, someone who is rich today can retire and live off of investments forever, continuing to grow their wealth and "keep up" financially with most people who work (Bill Gates can invest in real estate on Titan and Io, etc). I guess investing is still a kind of work, but not a kind I'd mind having to do.
Chris