#from my surface level glance at it the Federation is some form of Socialism

[thepissprophet]

Motivation for personal improvement and the collective good. Ranting about a Star Trek video

I saw this video:

I don't understand this author's confusion as to who would build spaceships and what possible motivation they have in a post-scarcity world.

I am still really naive sure, but I feel many people would be motivated to contribute to projects like this.

The scientists who would go wild for the opportunity to be on a boat for months on end to study microscopic ocean life without having to be a professor to earn money.

The engineers who love to fix things, make things, and such fir the love of the process, the happiness it brings, the progress and betterment for humanity.

Being able to do job you can do and/or be good at is motivation enough. Contributing to progress/achievement/betterment of society/peers/humanity is motivation enough.

Why does this author mention that surely there need to be some monetary incentive for people to make such contributions?

Why is the ship something only one or a few people want? Why need commisioning? Can't it just be many people, especially those with the skills needed, loved the idea of space travel? Why must people be incentivised by the possibility of being the Captain? Sometimes you just want to contribute to a project that is historic for human advancement. Do all the people who helped make all our space travel today help build rockets purely for the hope they might get to go to space? Or purely for the paycheck?

No. Come on! We choose the jobs we choose (when we can) just just for the paycheck or the status. It can be for the passion.

Maybe I was just raised with a collectivist mindset. But if I don't need to worry about money, if all basic needs and education is provided as need be, I would love to be as educated as I can in my field for the betterment of our society. To bring happiness to people around me. To progress human knowledge. To create art. To engage with more art, the world. Etc etc.

Also, I don't think this author understands what communism is. He says there is still free trade (example of crew trading rations for stuff), private property (example given was state property : Data), and "individual liberty" as the reasons Star Trek isn't communist. What?

Communism is when no private property, social classes, money, state

The trade example is not really monetary based, yes, but Communism doesn't mean you can't trade?? The crew exchanged with each other for what they were willing to sacrifice for what they wanted. He describes this as monetary exchange. Is it though? "Private monetary agreements" via exchange of "replicator rations for goods, services or favours". Sounds like me making an agreement with my neighbour to mow their lawn for a jar or their honey. Is that monetary now?

Private property with example felt more like case of state property. Data being "property of the Federation". I have only watched Star Trek DS9. So I am not clear about Star Trek lore. But my impression is that the Ferderation is kinda like a Bureaucracy, in a sort of State of States entity (kinda like Britain is a country of countries? I want to say like EU, where it's an alliance of many States/Narions/Governments). So... indeed, not communist, because presence of State, and no collective ownership. But not because private property.

Individual liberty is not abolished under communism. I think the author suffers from the generational effects of the red scare. The USSR might have been athiest, but the ideology of communism does not care.

Look, the quickest argument, in my opinion, for why the Federation is not communist is: it is a State.