Hmmm...so you are an anarchist (so don't want government) but also think profit seeking is unethical?
I'm genuinely curious what mechanism you would like society to function under? Like why would people...do stuff if not for value in exchange?
Honestly the only thing I came up with is basically if you forcibly modified humans in one generation, making people want to help each other for no benefit to themselves. Then, abolish the government I'm the next generation so this group of modified-humans runs with no profit motive or government. So it's like super dark and authoritarian, but only for a little bit?
Anyway, this was a fun thought exercise for me so thanks!
> Like why would people...do stuff if not for value in exchange?
People do stuff because they're curious or bored. Because they want to help and feel useful. Sure if you've worked all your life, you may spend a few months just doing nothing and just reconnecting with your inner feelings and environment. But after a while i can assure you you won't be able to stand lying around: pathological laziness is very rare. [0] Many people without employment suffer from not having a sense of purpose.
But what about the tasks nobody wants to do, like collecting garbage? Why can't we distribute those tasks? Why would a certain caste of people have to do the unpleasant tasks for others? If some task is a burden to the community, it's only fair the unpleasantness is distributed somewhat-equally. If i lived in a big city, i personally wouldn't mind collecting garbage once or twice a year, and the value i would derive from that would be that all garbage including mine is duly collected. [1]
Likewise, why would i help another person with some task i'm competent with? It can come out of simple empathy, but there's another way to look at it. The capitalist system treats exchanges as a zero-sum game where if i don't get my share at every step of the way i'm getting screwed because someone else will have it. A Commune without private property [2] treats exchanges as some form of creative process: the more we share, the more we have, and the more we can share... the better off everyone is in the end.
> Honestly the only thing I came up with is basically if you forcibly modified humans in one generation, making people want to help each other for no benefit to themselves.
Haha, that sounds like a pretty cool scenario for a movie in which you're not sure if it's a utopia or dystopia. Can't wait for the trailer to come out ;)
> Anyway, this was a fun thought exercise for me so thanks!
Cool! It can be more than a thought experiment, though. No person (myself included) is going to come up with the solutions to all our problems. The point of anarchism is that distributing power (so that everyone has a voice) is a prerequisite for finding the better outcomes for everyone. This can be practiced in every field of life on a daily basis.
If you enjoyed the thought experiment, i can only recommend to read some more anarchist literature: i've personally profoundly enjoyed Emma Goldman's autobiography, among others. Submedia's Trouble [3], in video form, documents various questions/practices related to anarchism.
[0] I hear Devon Price has some good works lately on that topic, but i haven't given it a read yet.
[1] Of course in a better world, we wouldn't have a garbage-oriented society. Capitalism produces waste on so many levels it's hard to imagine a less-efficient system. I take this example because that's something all people who live in cities can relate to.
[2] Private property does not designate personal belongings. Of course in a free Commune everyone still has personal stuff. Property is the authority derived from a piece of paper over resources you have no use of.
I'm genuinely curious what mechanism you would like society to function under? Like why would people...do stuff if not for value in exchange?
Honestly the only thing I came up with is basically if you forcibly modified humans in one generation, making people want to help each other for no benefit to themselves. Then, abolish the government I'm the next generation so this group of modified-humans runs with no profit motive or government. So it's like super dark and authoritarian, but only for a little bit?
Anyway, this was a fun thought exercise for me so thanks!