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Boojatta Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-01-08 01:11 PM
Original message
Economics of heaven
Suppose that God provides information about the past that is detailed down to the level of pixels in frames of views of historical events that large audiences are interested in. If that information is used to produce films and people pay to watch those films, then there would be a stream of income available to pay the wages of employees in heaven.
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BlooInBloo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-01-08 01:20 PM
Response to Original message
1. I would have assumed that there be no scarcity in heaven, and hence no economics.
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Boojatta Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-01-08 07:54 PM
Response to Reply #1
7. Well, how about front row seats for a live performance by
Edited on Sun Jun-01-08 07:55 PM by Boojatta
dramatic actors you want to watch? Wouldn't they be scarce?
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smoogatz Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jun-02-08 03:17 PM
Response to Reply #7
9. Not if the afterlife is eternal.
Edited on Mon Jun-02-08 03:18 PM by smoogatz
One matinee after another, no? Or would that be a kind of hell for the actors? I suppose it depends on the show.

On edit: another thing, and I shouldn't have to point this out to all the theological experts here, BUT, everybody knows that in Heaven ALL the seats are in the front row.
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Warpy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-01-08 01:27 PM
Response to Original message
2. Apparently our job in heaven is to adore god
and be paid in bliss.

As in heaven, so it is on earth, although our pay here doesn't stretch that far and the War on Drugs makes sure it never will.
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BlooInBloo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-01-08 01:29 PM
Response to Reply #2
3. I would guess the unemployment rate is pretty high in heaven.
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cosmik debris Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-01-08 01:41 PM
Response to Original message
4. Heaven doesn't need employees
If it did, it wouldn't be heaven.
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uberllama42 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-01-08 02:07 PM
Response to Original message
5. Why do people in heaven need income?
Do we know the status of people in heaven? Do they need to eat? Do they have any other needs? Are there physical goods being traded on a market? Are there 'spiritual goods' of some kind? Is there even private property? Or currency?

How about physical capital? Is there some necessary equipment to make these movies? If so, is there a single owner or is the equipment owned in common? Is the historical information provided by God a scarce resource, or is it available ad infinitum? If it is free of charge, it will be used until its marginal productivity is zero or until it runs out. If there is a charge for that info, it will be used until its marginal productivity falls to the level of it marginal price.

Are there competing film labels, or is there just one? Are the workers unionized? The market structure in heaven would have a big impact on how many films are made, the cost to make them, the price of admission, etc.

How do we know that people in Heaven can't automatically experience everything in history without any effort by movie-makers?
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Boojatta Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jun-02-08 02:59 PM
Response to Reply #5
8. I didn't claim to have any knowledge about these matters.
I simply proposed one idea.
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uberllama42 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jun-02-08 03:21 PM
Response to Reply #8
10. Well, you said "suppose"
so I started thinking about it. I think those are important considerations in your scenario. It's all hypothetical anyway, so why not?
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cosmik debris Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-01-08 03:28 PM
Response to Original message
6. Kick
because this is more deep and meaningful than Poster X's flame wars.

Go Boojatta!
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smoogatz Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jun-02-08 03:31 PM
Response to Original message
11. As George Carlin says
"Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man -- living in the sky -- who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!
But He loves you.
He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a good bullshit story. Holy Shit!"
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Meshuga Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jun-02-08 03:52 PM
Response to Original message
12. Screw the employees in heaven!
We can always outsource to hell. It makes more economic sense.
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