I think the kids who advocate for fully automated space communism have an interesting vision, and I’m not wholly opposed to that vision. I like Star Trek too.

I think the main problem the communists have is that we, today, in the US, are already at Marx’s “abundance” case, and we can see what happens when we get there. The goalposts for what counts as a “need” get moved. Now we all need cell phones and internet instead of needing food and shelter. And in 50 years we’re all going to “need” something else that we don’t even have a concept of today. Eventually once “immortality for the rich” becomes a thing, we’re all going to “need” that.

So you can’t get to abundance because the definition of abundance changes. And that’s a huge flaw within Marxist thought. And the best way to chase the carrot on the stick is capitalism.