What explains why the game of economics cannot eliminate scarcity?

Answer 1

Because our economies are not organized for maximum *economy*: everything in capitalism is based on getting people to consume, use up, spend, need, want...more and more, to the point where large portions of the world's population are dying young from consuming things they don't need. If resources were shared in a need-based (as opposed to "greed-based") way, there would be no need to make lots of money in order to survive (or to exploit humans, animals, and nature the way it's being done now). If our economy were organized for maximum economy and prosperity for all, the race for market superiority would end, and people would start focusing on methods to solve problems, such as famine, climate change, loss of biodiversity, and pollution, all of which are results and causes of scarcity.

But the main reason for scarcity is that capitalism needs scarcity in order to give things value. The rule of supply and demand says that the rarer or more "limited" something is, the higher the price tag. So scarcity is a welcome, integral part of how our current system works...because it's a system that doesn't put human or global needs first, but rather turns it all into a big game as you call it, where it's about trying to win while everyone else loses. Instead we ought to realize that if anybody loses at all, then we all lose, because it means our economy has failed and we have failed to become humane enough to always put people and peace before profit and power.