FortheLegion said:
We would still be in caves. The only thing ever accomplished would be reproduction. Technology is created out of needs and without needs we would have no reason to build. We would be just animals.
I sort of see it in the opposite point of view. Since we'd have our basic essentials covered right off the bat, we wouldn't have to spend our days worrying about it. But as humans we are curious by nature, and doing nothing wouldn't be good enough. I imagine there would be many more artisans, since there would be no qualms with having to choose between doing art and finding food. They could spend all day experimenting.
Because of this, we'd be able to fill our day with other things. Having essentials right off the bat means no food market or starvation, which means any economy that might develop would be strictly based on items of leisure and luxury. That would give the artisans something to do with their creations.
So basically you'd have a society based on leisure and material items.
Look at it this way: why has female employment only been a major concern in the past two centuries? It wasn't that big of a deal in most societies for thousands of years. I'll tell you: modern conveniences. It no longer takes two days to do laundry, it no longer takes hours to cook a meal, food now requires a lot less preparation (or can just be bought at the market rather than handmade), clothes are easier to make and repair, and cleaning has become drastically expedited. With all that extra time, women realized there was more to life.
So to picture this world, put yourself in the shoes of those women. You suddenly have all the time in the world freed up...what can you do with it? Anything, really.
