You’re confusing two concepts. Even volunteer firefighters get paid, in the OP. But they don’t operate under a profit motive.
The profit motive is seen as integral to the success of capitalism, in economic theory. The idea is that owners of capital will invest in ways that maximize the profit of their capital, and, in so doing, maximize the total value creation from the capital. Hence, the profit motive incentivizes everyone in capitalism to maximize total productivity. Therefore, the profit motive maximizes the gross economic production, and hence utility, of the entire system, even though individual agents are only pursuing selfish maximization of profits.
All of that is true. But it also doesn’t tell the whole story.
In particular, it breaks down in two main points:
Externalities are not captured by the profit motive. Negative externalities, like pollution, but also positive ones, like companionship and happiness.
The profit motive is true for total creation of utility, but it completely ignores the distribution of utility. Neoliberal trickle-down free-market economic policy is inimical to equity, despite, on the surface, seeming like an effective policy to maximize total utility generation through the profit motive.
There’s a whole other problem with the profit motive, too: we all have an innate drive toward creative expression and helping others. I suppose you could, cynically, say that these motivations count as “externalities”, but I think that’s a bit reductive. People will want to create things even without profit motive. UBI studies all confirm that people will want to continue “being productive”, even if they don’t need to work.
Not in my county, volunteer fire fighters are not paid. There are paid EMTs and paramedics in the county as well as volunteer EMTs. But I would assume most volunteer firefighters are not paid. Some towns also have a mix of paid and volunteer firefighters. (I guess the volunteer firefighters get paid by their employer for the other job they work)
Weird. In Canada, they’re called “volunteer” firefighters, but they get paid for training and for every call they respond to. It’s only like $18/hr or something, but it’s not literally volunteering.
In NZ we get a $300/year “appreciation bonus” or something akin to that. Assuming we attended weekly trainings only and no callouts, it would work out at around $3/hr.
Some of our employers will voluntarily pay for hours we are on callouts when we are otherwise scheduled to work, taking that expense upon themselves, but for most people a callout simply means that we lose wages or need to pull overtime to catch up.
Then FENZ has the gall to try and have volunteer crews act as scabs(at our own cost) while the massively unperaid career staff are striking for livable wages.
Everyone needs money. But it’s not a “profit motive” driving them to develop for FOSS. Most of them would get paid >2x their salary by working for top-tech. They are more motivated by passion.
A vast majority of Foss programmers get paid. Linux would not be where it is at without people getting paid.
You’re confusing two concepts. Even volunteer firefighters get paid, in the OP. But they don’t operate under a profit motive.
The profit motive is seen as integral to the success of capitalism, in economic theory. The idea is that owners of capital will invest in ways that maximize the profit of their capital, and, in so doing, maximize the total value creation from the capital. Hence, the profit motive incentivizes everyone in capitalism to maximize total productivity. Therefore, the profit motive maximizes the gross economic production, and hence utility, of the entire system, even though individual agents are only pursuing selfish maximization of profits.
All of that is true. But it also doesn’t tell the whole story.
In particular, it breaks down in two main points:
There’s a whole other problem with the profit motive, too: we all have an innate drive toward creative expression and helping others. I suppose you could, cynically, say that these motivations count as “externalities”, but I think that’s a bit reductive. People will want to create things even without profit motive. UBI studies all confirm that people will want to continue “being productive”, even if they don’t need to work.
Thank you for listening to my TED Talk.
Not in my county, volunteer fire fighters are not paid. There are paid EMTs and paramedics in the county as well as volunteer EMTs. But I would assume most volunteer firefighters are not paid. Some towns also have a mix of paid and volunteer firefighters. (I guess the volunteer firefighters get paid by their employer for the other job they work)
Weird. In Canada, they’re called “volunteer” firefighters, but they get paid for training and for every call they respond to. It’s only like $18/hr or something, but it’s not literally volunteering.
In NZ we get a $300/year “appreciation bonus” or something akin to that. Assuming we attended weekly trainings only and no callouts, it would work out at around $3/hr.
Some of our employers will voluntarily pay for hours we are on callouts when we are otherwise scheduled to work, taking that expense upon themselves, but for most people a callout simply means that we lose wages or need to pull overtime to catch up.
Then FENZ has the gall to try and have volunteer crews act as scabs(at our own cost) while the massively unperaid career staff are striking for livable wages.
Linux foundation doesn’t operate under a profit motive AFAIK. Maintenance of operations doesnt equate the profit motive
Everyone needs money. But it’s not a “profit motive” driving them to develop for FOSS. Most of them would get paid >2x their salary by working for top-tech. They are more motivated by passion.