Dirty Work

[Anonymous No.3827146]

It's been imagined by some, but it's largely unexplored.

What would a post-scarcity society's military look like? For that matter, post-singularity militaries would be pretty damn interesting.

What threats could they possibly exist to counter?
What kind or organization would they have in a society that prides itself on ultimate freedom?
Would it be considered wasteful in an environment without real limits on production and energy?

Thoughts, ideas, comments, wild speculation, accusations of OP's faggotry, etc. are always welcome.

Pic semi-related

>Mad Scientist considers himself a post-scarcity luminary of sorts, I'd be interested to hear his opinion.

[Anonymous No.3827166]

okay, ignoring your faggy, self-congratulatory terms like "post-scarcity" as if there could ever be such a thing, let's assume there's a future Earth where we can produce unlimited matter and energy.

The only remaining variables in an arms-race would be time, space, and the production of excessive heat. In-fact, the Earth would probably suffer from an excess of heat due to over production. Let's not forget human nature.

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.3827170]

>Mad Scientist considers himself a post-scarcity luminary of sorts
Nobody loves Inurdaes anymore

Anyway, be really worried about any military with the ability to redirect relatively large asteroids.

[Anonymous No.3827187]

Just to clear up, I'm not talking unlimited quantities of matter and energy, I'm just thinking in terms of huge amounts of readily available resources and energy.

>>3827166
Kinda is, but that's not from waste heat directly.
>>3827170
Sorry, saw him on the front page talking about it, figured I'd throw it out.

Why be worried about it? If they're on your side, who cares?

Ground forces would be easy to do. Just have a bunch combat robots with an animal level intelligence commanded regionally by self-assembling "factory" control nodes. For redundancy, give them a networked intelligence ability like the Geth of Mass Effect fame.
With those, the invasion and occupation of territory would be almost trivially easy, to the point that it would likely boil down to which side had faster working self-assembly factories.
The scary bit is that attrition warfare could rapidly deplete a territory's resources to the point of it being worthless to capture.

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.3827193]

>>3827187
>Why be worried about it? If they're on your side, who cares?
Why would they be on your side when they have the power to obliterate your entire country? Consider the possibility of a military gone rogue.

[Anonymous No.3827219]

>>3827193
That's a legitimate threat.

How would the military recruit? Who would maintain ultimate control?

Maybe it's a side-effect of reading too much science fiction, but I imagine that it's always a good idea to have a military.
Even if the Solar System is united, populated, at peace, and has a very high standard of living/happiness/fulfillment/whatever, I'd still want a military. It's good to have an organization for exploration/combat/assistance in the event of disaster or other emergency.

Even if a potential combat threat is purely hypothetical (aliens), it just might still be a good idea to have mankind's armory well-stocked.

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.3827226]

>>3827219
>Even if the Solar System is united, populated, at peace, and has a very high standard of living/happiness/fulfillment/whatever, I'd still want a military. It's good to have an organization for exploration/combat/assistance in the event of disaster or other emergency.

[Anonymous No.3827237]

>>3827226
Fuck yes. Star Wars is the shit.

[Anonymous No.3827247]

>>3827226
Not all Jedi's are good, bro.

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.3827248]

>>3827237

[Anonymous No.3827250]

>>3827247
>>3827237
I'm out.

[Anonymous No.3827265]

>>3827226
Yup, but I'd prefer they don't wear pajamas and have more teeth though.

Most traffic in the Sol system is composed of liners, water/fissionable/antimatter haulers, pleasure craft, etc. but you still see the occasional warship bristling with all manner of armament.

They're smaller than the passenger liners and their crew lives in a breathable fluid atmosphere (due to acceleration concerns) but they're still terrifying. Most people think their crews are all mad for enduring the discomfort and studying destruction so intently.

Maybe it's the American in me, but I'd feel better knowing that man has a frighteningly capable war machine just waiting to be let off the chain.

[Anonymous No.3827270]

>>3827265
>More teeth

The point of Starfleet is they don't NEED teeth. If we're envisioning incredible technology that lets everyone live quite equally there would be no need for teeth. They have the luxary to not have to be strict.

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.3827271]

>>3827265
If there is a military it should be used purely for peacekeeping purposes, and therein lies the problem.
'Well if you have peacekeeping guys with weapons we want some too'
'I already have enough for both of us you don't need them'
'But you control them, I don't feel safe being exposed. I'm gonna develop my own military.'
-psst- Guys, they want to make their own military, I think they want to attack us!
etc.

It would likely just lead back to fracturing of nations and espionage.

[Anonymous No.3827306]

>>3827271
>he doesn't think humanity will be united under a single glorious nation and military
The only thing our military will be used against is any alien scum who challenges our supremacy.

[Anonymous No.3827316]

>>3827271
Which is why, in my ideal society, regardless of technology, everyone has access to weaponry.

This is nigh utopian, but I do wonder if the Federation has a 2nd Directive or a National Phaser Association.

The people are armed, there's no real need for peacekeeping, that's what the police do. The military is purely for external threats or crisis. Sort of an insurance policy against potential extinction or other unknown threats.

Also, my ideal police are trained in the law and may act as pseudo-magistrates. There would need to be some kind of selection process to weed out bullies. Primarily an investigative and assistance force.
Ship damaged? Call the police.
Injuries in an unforseen accident? Call the police, they're trained as medical first-responders.
Need a legal witness? Call the police, they act as notaries for public affairs, contracts, etc. and are a service provided by and servants of the state (and therefor, the people).

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.3827342]

>>3827316
>All people are armed
Oh fuck no.

Since the gun crackdown here in Australia after the massacre in Tasmania gun violence went down, and it's way below America's. If you can provide me with good hard solid evidence that the prevalence of firearms reduces crimes and attempted crimes I'll change my viewpoint. Keep in mind not everyone wants to carry a Glock in their handbag.

[Anonymous No.3827351]

>>3827342
Switzerland isn't bad.

Granted, there are restrictions on their use of arms and they have limitations on ammunition.

Hmm.... maybe a militia system is a good idea?
I'd be down for a utopian society that has a universal militia. Maybe it's having gone to a military school (a very good one, not one of those teenager prisons that seek to punish or rehabilitate) but I think a touch of military instruction does a person some good.

I can imagine the reaction after meeting ETI's right now:
"Hear about those humans? Even their artists are trained killers!"

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.3827364]

>>3827351
>Maybe it's having gone to a military school (a very good one, not one of those teenager prisons that seek to punish or rehabilitate)
I can get behind this.

[Anonymous No.3827365]

>>3827342
Fucking Australia... Assholes won't even let us have airsoft...

[Anonymous No.3827385]

>>3827364
Hahahah.

Most of the problems associated with violent (and therefor gun) crime are solved when an economy is post-scarcity. You only really have to worry about the occasional crazy person, but there are knife-killing sprees too.

A (very) challenging academic environment coupled with a military system made for an interesting educational experience, to say the least. We had bling for our (dress) uniforms that you could earn from all manner of bullshit: academics, theater, languages, sports, speech&debate, sailing, aviation, etc.
The environment also taught time management, if in a rather harsh way. You only got time to do something other than study once you earned it. Mandatory study time, mandatory (peer) tutoring until grades reached a given point, mandatory exercise all seem harsh but they turn into pretty great habits. Requiring tutoring, not having extra free time, needing exercise all brought a kind of embarrassment so hardly anybody let themselves slide.

Maybe the Agoge is the answer.

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.3827386]

>>3827365
I am not aware of any law which prohibits the construction of your own railgun

[Anonymous No.3827408]

>>3827386
I'm sure it would be... It's illegal to make your own crossbow.

[Anonymous No.3827410]

>>3827386

idiot

[Anonymous No.3827417]

>>3827410
You jealous that you didn't think of it first?

[Anonymous No.3827480]

Post-scarcity would only be possible with war to exterminate down excess population and keep the resources/person ratio high.

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.3827489]

>>3827480
ASTEROID MINING AND PLASMA GASIFICATION UNITS

GODDAMN IT MALTHUS

[Anonymous No.3827569]

>>3827480
>excess population
Like you?

[Anonymous No.3827591]

>>3827270
>If we're envisioning incredible technology that lets everyone live quite equally there would be no need for teeth.

>mfw human society is already capable of this and does not do it

[Anonymous No.3827609]

>>3827342

I'd just like to point out that instead of shootings, there are now more bashings and stabbings.