Loved your post... but a few things. If you think about it the explanation they give for not having money is that "we serve a higher purpose" or some such nonsense. The implication is that since we have replicators so there is no hunger or lack of goods that the need for prices evaporate.
However, fully accepting the technological state of the world presented in Star Trek for the purpose of this discussion, prices are not directly connected to physical goods but are directly connected to scarcity. Scarcity ABSOLUTELY exists in the Star Trek world... human resources (peoples skills, time and effort), food and wine is still grown, distributed, and prepared for those that have distinguished pallets and can tell the difference between replicated food and the real stuff. Then there is new technology yet to be in replicators or some items that defy replications (not enough of a nerd to quote series and episode but I remember that being a plot point).
Price does and should go away when and where scarcity is not an issue (prices only persist in areas where scarcity goes away but the government enforces a monopoly on ideas via patent/copyright/etc).
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Re: Now I feel like a nerd
Loved your post... but a few things. If you think about it the explanation they give for not having money is that "we serve a higher purpose" or some such nonsense. The implication is that since we have replicators so there is no hunger or lack of goods that the need for prices evaporate.
However, fully accepting the technological state of the world presented in Star Trek for the purpose of this discussion, prices are not directly connected to physical goods but are directly connected to scarcity. Scarcity ABSOLUTELY exists in the Star Trek world... human resources (peoples skills, time and effort), food and wine is still grown, distributed, and prepared for those that have distinguished pallets and can tell the difference between replicated food and the real stuff. Then there is new technology yet to be in replicators or some items that defy replications (not enough of a nerd to quote series and episode but I remember that being a plot point).
Price does and should go away when and where scarcity is not an issue (prices only persist in areas where scarcity goes away but the government enforces a monopoly on ideas via patent/copyright/etc).