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This is essentially the hippy commune / kibbutz concept, with the wrinkle of generating most of its "foreign exchange" through tech work rather than pure agricultural produce. With a bit of careful tax planning you could offset all the fun unproductive stuff against tax and claim both R&D and small farmer allowances.

Division of tasks is where this kind of thing tends to fall down.




> hippy commune / kibbutz concept

It's been tried over-and-over-and-over for centuries and there's a ton of research. If it's not based on a religion, it fails, is the long and short of it. Only works with religious people.


It is interesting to speculate why is it that religious groups fare better in this kind of arrangements.

I think it has to do with 2 things: The ability to shame individuals into compliance without resorting to violence, and the ability to shut off free-loaders.

That's the problem with intentional communities. Everybody (claim to) have the best intentions, until push comes to shove and you have to actually put your self interest on hold for the greater good of the community.


I would focus on one even-simpler thing:

Power structure.

Religion usually has a built-in power structure that nothing else has been able to replicate.


I beg to differ on the monopoly of religion over the power of hierarchies.

Take the military by example. They have a remarkably good track record of literally sending men to die, in full knowledge that their chances or survival are negligible.

There are many other less dramatic cases: at work in both the private and public sector, at the school's social dynamic, at charitable organizations, and yes in the church.


But militaries don't form hippie communes, at least that I've ever heard of.


And hippies don't go to war either. But how is that relevant to the point of religion being the only way to make people work against their own interest.


Ah, I now realize you were objecting to this:

Religion usually has a built-in power structure that nothing else has been able to replicate.

I wasn't sufficiently clear. I meant within the context of "things that have been used as a basis for communes", religion stands alone.


You missed what the point was.

The statement was that historically communes only work out when founded on religion.


They do a good job avoiding freeloaders in the first place with rules like, for examples, You have to be circumcised and we meet daily for prayers. Gaming the welfare system is one thing, but surgery and dozens of hours a week of time would be a bit much for a mooch.


Is there some interesting research paper one could read?




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