The 1900s were a time of violence, chaos, and a search for meaning. The Industrial Revolution created many new conveniences, and extended lifespans, but brought with it a focus on individual economic productivity that was isolating. Many people felt lack. Communism was one proposed solution to this that gained popularity — with Lenin, Mao, Chavez and others promising their countrymen a return to pre-industrial, early agrarian times. Where men were equal and social relationships were paramount.

Communism didn’t work. Communists enforced economic equality with violence. Power-hungry leaders reallocated limited resources to themselves. Economic productivity stalled and approximately 50 million died of starvation in Mao’s communist China & the Soviet Union. The average citizen was left poorer and forced into a rigid set of responsibilities. Communists claimed communism would allow humanity to flourish by fostering a world rooted in community and human fulfillment, free from class division and exploitation.

What if I told you the communists were right, just too early? AI will usher us into a post-abundance world where people must shift their purpose from economic productivity towards community, just like early agrarian societies. The communists will be successful, but precisely BECAUSE of capitalism, not in spite of it.

Capitalism has material costs

Even in the west where capitalism is largely embraced — people suffer as a result of it. Physical economic development in America is an example of this. Suburbs and driving cities were the answer to expansion, but leave citizens without walkable communities and less time with friends. Now, the shift to remote work in COVID has accelerated this trend. Many Americans spend their entire lives inside their house, out of sight from anyone outside their family.

Our culture is almost completely oriented towards economic achievement. We’ve lost pursuit of the arts & philosophy, in favor of 6-figure salaries and fancy titles. Greece had great poets and Olympians. We have NYT best sellers and professional athletes that hate the sport but love the money. Our higher education system has done away with classics requirements in favor of computer science.

However, I wouldn’t say capitalism is a primarily negative force. Much the opposite, this economic focus has dominated precisely because it outweighs the cost of the sacrifices. We’ve extended life expectancy by 30 years. The average American lives better than a king 500 years ago (short of social status). You can buy any product you can possibly think of and it can be at your door in less than 2 days. You can complete what would’ve been a months long journey from California to Asia in <12 hours. <500ms if you’re just traveling virtually. Illnesses that would’ve been a death sentence 300 years ago are a minor mishap and done away in 2 weeks. This improvement has been staggering.

AI abundance will shift human purpose

Now with AI, we’re seeing the breakneck pace intensify exponentially. Things we thought we could never have machines do are being automated. As I write this essay in Feb 2025 I can confidently say that Claude 3.5 is a better & faster programmer than me most of the time. With GPT-4o’s version upgrade including post-training on creative writing (released December 2024), AI is even often better at writing copy than me (though I didn’t use it for this essay).

People are fearful of losing their jobs. People are scared there will be a concentration of wealth at the top. And maybe they should be. But I believe we will create so much abundance it will not matter.

Within 20 years we’ll likely have humanoid robots everywhere — our house cleaners, our private tutors, our factory workers. Economic growth will be almost entirely on autopilot, both in the digital world and physical.

We will have food for pennies. Clothes for pennies. Homes built by robots for $5,000. We’ll have more resources than we possibly know what to do with. Yet most people will no longer have a straightforward professional calling. AIs will be better lawyers, engineers, and soon after better farm workers, etc. Where will humans find purpose?

The return to community

I argue that the purpose people put into work will be reallocated back to community, relationships, and religion, like early agrarian times. Our society will be organized as a commune & closely mimic a primitive society on fertile land — food for everyone, focus on the community vs. the broader world, and tribalism.

People will find tribes based on the people they like, interests, and where they want to live. Social power structures and status will remain & even increase in importance. Wealth in the new world may no longer become about dollars, but rather your social influence.

In tribal societies, banishment was a curse worse than death. The same will be true in this new world. With all your purpose derived from social status — being cast out of your community will be analogous to being permanently unemployable today (e.g. a bad criminal record).

A better world, though not altogether different

This new world will still have happiness, and sadness and all the other normal human emotions. We will adjust to the new fruits and take them for granted. But it will be a better world in many ways: more equality of food & housing, more freedom, etc. I expect we see a return to the arts, more focus on athletic achievement, stronger family values, and a return of religion.

The hole capitalism created — the desocialization & drawing away from community, will be filled by this new social order. Economic inequality will be masked by near identical access to resources. There may still be some differences in wealth, but they will not define our quality of life or social standing meaningfully. After all, what can excess wealth even buy in a world where everything is cheap? I for one, will be excited to declare myself a communist, once capitalism gets us to post-abundance.