"The Zero Marginal Cost Society" by Jeremy Rifkin

It is hard to believe that it has been nearly 25 years since I read Jeremy Rifkin's "The End of Work". It was incredibly thought provoking then and, as it turned out, rather clairvoyant. His thesis that there would be no need for the entire population to work the traditional schedules, e.g., 40 hours per week. As he saw it, there were entering a moment in history when we would be able to utilize the traditional size of the workforce. He saw the future when we would envision a more discretionary use of time, requiring us to focus of how to meaningfully use "leisure" time. Over the last 25 years, I have noted signs of the transition to the end of work.

Rifkin's new book, The Zero Marginal Cost Society, is an ambitious undertaking of zoning in on changes in how our society functions. His general thesis is that we are coming into an era where we can satisfy our needs of communication, knowledge, and energy at virtually no cost. He references this world as the Internet of Things (IoT). Our use of the internet to access knowledge and provide communication with others is virtually at no cost. Granted that there are infrastructure that requires finance, but once the system is operational, the system becomes cheap for the user.

It is similar in the world of education. Khan Academy was designed to provide free education throughout the world. Khan has achieved a high success without charging users. Donations provide the support for the infrastructure.

He sees a similar system developing with the distribution of energy generated by solar panels and wind. He foresees where we will eventually be able to share our energy without going through the grid.

Granted, he is dealing with a future that many of us will not live long enough to experience. But his vision is strenghtened by his perception of the changes occurring with the Millennials. They seemingly have readily adapted to a world that is inclusionary of others, independent of gender, sexual orientation, race, or class.

The world that he envisions is challenged by global warming and sustainable sources of food. Unless humans vigorously embrace changes in how we use our environment, our future will be jeopardized. He is an optimist with a sense of realism.

The book was difficult to read, but it was worthwhile since I see this as enriching my notion that our world needs to enter a stage where we share more with each other. Rifkin appreciates that capitalism will not disappear but he sees the transition to a Collaborative Commons when much of our necessities will be available at zero marginal cost.