Living Unchained: Building a moneyless, post scarcity society
Episodes
Episode 22: Building a Post-Money Culture
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Justin Fairchild explores real communities and movements around the world that are redefining wealth, work, and value. From time-bank...
Episode 21: The Ecology of Enough
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In nature, nothing hoards. Nothing takes more than it needs. So why do we?In this episode, Justin Fairchild explores what it means to live in balance ...
Episode 20: The Myth of Deservedness
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We grow up believing people get what they deserve — that success, suffering, and love are all earned. In this episode, Justin Fairchild dismantles t...
Episode 19 Reclaiming Time: Freedom Beyond the Clock
26 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
They say time is money — but what if that’s the lie that keeps us running? In this episode, Justin explores how capitalism turned time into curren...
Episode 18 The Currency of Care: Healing Communities in a Broken Economy
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After exploring money and mental health in the last episode, Justin turns outward to explore how communities heal together. From loneliness and burnou...
Episode 17: The Cost of Peace: Money and Mental Health
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Money doesn’t just buy or sell — it shapes how we feel, how we think, and how we see ourselves. In this deeply personal episode, Justin Fairchild ...
Episode 16: Faith Unchained — Spirit Beyond the Money System
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Raised in Christianity, Siddha Yoga, and Scientology, Justin shares how each tradition carried both truth and falsehood, yet never offered the connect...
Episode 15: Divide and Rule — How Wealth Shapes Division and How Contributionism Breaks the Cycle
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout history, the wealthy have relied on one timeless strategy: keep people divided so they cannot rise together. From Rome’s “bread and cir...
Episode 14: Chains of Desperation: Crime, Addiction, and Family Violence Under a Money System
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Crime, drug abuse, and family violence are often blamed on “bad people” or moral weakness. But what if they are predictable outcomes of a society ...
Episode 13: Money, Faith, and Relationships: Untangling What Binds Us
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Money shapes our worth, faith directs our trust, and relationships define who we are. But under a money system, all three are distorted — money medi...
Episode 12: What Do We Owe Each Other?
14 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Capitalism tells us we owe wages to bosses, taxes to the state, and payments to banks — obligations measured in money and debt. But what do we truly...
Episode 11: Is Democracy Possible in a Capitalist Economy?
14 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Democracy is praised as “rule by the people,” but what happens when money speaks louder than votes? In this episode, Justin traces democracy’s r...
Episode 10: Can Justice Exist in an Unequal System?
14 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’re told justice is blind. Courthouses proclaim “Equal Justice Under Law.” But can justice truly exist in a system built on inequality? In t...
Episode 9: Communism, SPGB Socialism, Communal Living, and Contributionism
14 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Whenever people hear about a moneyless society, the first question is often: “Isn’t that just communism?” In this episode, Justin unpacks comm...
Episode 8: What Does Progress Really Mean?
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Politicians and corporations praise “progress,” but what are we actually progressing toward? This episode challenges GDP, economic growth, and tec...
Episode 7: Is Ownership an Illusion?
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From houses to land to even intellectual property, ownership is treated as natural and absolute. But is it real — or just a fragile illusion enforce...
Episode 6: Does Work Define Us, or Limit Us?
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Work dominates modern identity — we ask people “What do you do?” as if labor is the whole of life. But does work free us, or does it confine us ...
Episode 5: Free Market Capitalism vs. Contributionism
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The free market is often touted as the path to equality and fairness — but does it deliver? In this head-to-head comparison, Justin examines how fre...
Episode 4: Who Decides What’s Essential in Society?
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
During the pandemic, “essential workers” were praised yet poorly protected. What does “essential” really mean, and who gets to decide? This ep...
Episode 3: Do We Really Have Free Choice Under Capitalism?
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Capitalism prides itself on freedom of choice — from the marketplace to the workplace. But how free are our choices when they’re shaped by surviva...
Episode 2: Is Capitalism Modern Slavery?
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We often think of slavery as a thing of the past — but when survival depends on selling labor, taking on debt, and obeying the rules of profit, is c...
Episode 1: Does Capitalism Violate My Right to Pursue Happiness?
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. Declaration of Independence promises life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — but does capitalism deliver on that ideal, or stand in i...
S4 E6 CH 13-15: The Lie That Build The World
31 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As Ben peers into history, he sees the scaffolding of the old order: lies of scarcity, myths of competition, and the relentless story of money as nece...
S4 E11 CH 28-31: The Shape of Tomorrow
31 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the season finale, Peter undergoes reconciliation instead of punishment, facing those harmed by his actions and beginning a true transformation. Be...
S4 E10 CH 23-25: The Sound of Us
31 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At Peter’s Alaska base, the old world makes its last desperate move: hijacked robots, hostages, and a philosophy of control. But resistance doesn’...
S4 E9 CH 22-24: Crossing Over
31 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a playful world of augmented reality battles and dissolving water bottles, Ben finally stops doubting and starts belonging. But when chaos erupts a...
S4 E8 CH 19-21: Bloodlines and Boundaries
31 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ben’s wandering comes to an end when he discovers the truth about Amo—she is Bianca, the daughter he thought he lost. As he grapples with five gen...
S4 E7 CH 16-18 The Edge of Belief
30 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last time, we saw the lie—the way our old world manufactured pain through a story of scarcity and debt. Ben Michaels saw it too. And now, he finds h...
S4 E5 Chapters 10-12: Bridges Between Worlds
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Between past and future, Ben discovers bridges: people who translate between old systems and new, and technologies that support trust instead of contr...
S4 E4 Chapters 7-9: No Place to Call Home
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last episode, Ben Michaels woke up in a future without money. No more cancer, no more skyscrapers, but also… no more wealth. No more trust fund. No ...
S4 E3 Chapters 5-6: Waking in a New World
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ben’s disorientation deepens as he confronts the realities of life without money: shared abundance, trust in technology, and communities built on ca...
S4 E2 Chapters 3-4: Letting Go
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In Episode 1, we met Benjamin Michaels: a billionaire dying of cancer, clinging to control while the world outside his skyscraper begins to reject eve...
S4 E1 Waking Up Chapters 1-2:
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Season 4—where we take a journey through Harald Neslein Sandø’s novel Waking Up: A Journey Towards a New Dawn for Humanity. This isn’t a textbo...
S1 E18 25 Year Afterword: On Being Good Ancestors
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As Season 3 draws to a close, we reflect on Lewis Hyde’s afterword to The Gift, written 25 years after the book’s release. In this powerful final...
S 3 E 17 Conclusion
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this final chapter, Lewis Hyde steps back to reflect on everything we’ve explored—asking not only what the gift is, but what it means to live i...
S3 E16 Chapter 10 Part 5: Bathed in Alkali: The Descent of Ezra Pound
24 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here, we follow Ezra Pound—not just the poet, but the ideologue, the economist, the man who tried to rebuild a moral society by reshaping the mechan...
S3 E15 Chapter 10 Part 4: Imagist Money
24 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Living Unchained, we dive into “Imagist Money,” the fourth section of Chapter 10 in Lewis Hyde’s The Gift. Here, Hyde unp...
S3 E14 Chapter 10 Part 3: The Jew in the Hedge
24 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode continues Chapter 10 of Lewis Hyde’s The Gift. This is Part III — The Jew in the Hedge, and I want to offer a clear warning up...
S3 E13 Chapter 10 Part 2: Durable Treasure
24 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last time, we walked with Ezra Pound through his poetic awakening and his sensitivity to cultural value — value that lies beyond the realm of price....
S3 E12 Chapter 10 Part 1: Scattered Light: Ezra Pound and the Gift of Order
24 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hyde introduces Ezra Pound’s poetic method as a kind of healing response to the fragmentation of modernity — and explores Pound’s drive to use p...
S3 E11: Chapter 9 Part 3: Saplings
24 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we continue with the third and final section of Chapter 9 in The Gift by Lewis Hyde, titled “Saplings.” In this moving and deeply human ...
S3E9 Part 2: Adhesive Riches
24 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we continue our deep dive into Chapter 9 of The Gift by Lewis Hyde. We now step into Section II: Adhesive Riches—a dense, lyrica...
Episode 9 Part One: The Grass Over Graves
24 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is about the power of lineage, inheritance, and art — not as property or product, but as a sacred continuation. We’ll follow Hyde’s...
Episode 8: The Commerce of the Creative Spirit
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Living Unchained, we explore Lewis Hyde’s reflections on the complex relationship between creativity and commerce. Can art survi...
Episode 7: Usury and the Price of the Gift
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we dive into Chapter 7 of The Gift—“Usury: A History of Gift Exchange.” Hyde explores how ancient lending practices rooted in ...
Episode 6: A Female Property
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore Chapter 6 of The Gift by Lewis Hyde—“A Female Property.” Hyde takes us through cultural traditions where women wer...
Episode 5: The Gift Community
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore Lewis Hyde’s reflections on the structure of gift communities—those tightly woven circles of reciprocity where relatio...
Episode 4: The Rejected Gift
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when a gift is refused—or cannot be returned? This chapter explores the painful edges of gift exchange: obligation, imbalance, and reje...
Episode 3: Commerce of the Creative Spirit
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How does an artist survive in a world ruled by the market? In Chapter 3, Hyde digs deeper into the dilemma of the modern creative. This episode reflec...
Episode 2: "Gifts and the Bonds Between Us"
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Chapter 2 examines the uneasy tension between gift and market economies. Hyde reveals how the labor of art often exists in a space where monetary comp...
Episode 1: "The Hidden Currents of the Gift"
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We begin Season 3 by diving into Lewis Hyde’s preface, introduction, and chapter 1 to The Gift. This episode unpacks the difference between gift an...
Episode 9 – A Call to Action
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The time for change is now.In this season finale, we unpack Chapter 9’s practical guide to action. From reshaping public discourse to reclaiming unu...
Chapter 8 – Objections
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s time to face the critics.Chapter 8 addresses the most common objections to a moneyless society—concerns about human nature, motivation, scarc...
Chapter 7 – Transitioning to a Moneyless Society
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do we move from here… to there?Chapter 7 lays out the transitional path from our current system to a moneyless society. In this episode, we expl...
Chapter 6 – Future Systems in Action
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does a moneyless society actually look like in practice?In Chapter 6, Holten takes us from theory to reality—highlighting real-world systems,...
Moneyless Society: Chapter Five
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If we removed money from the equation—what kind of society would we build?In Chapter Five of Moneyless Society: The Next Economic Evolution, Matthe...
Moneyless Society: Chapter Four
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How would we meet people’s needs in a society without money? What replaces price tags, paychecks, and profit margins?In Chapter Four of Moneyless S...
Moneyless Society: Chapter Three
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What would a world without money actually look like—and could it really work?In Chapter Three of Moneyless Society: The Next Economic Evolution, Ma...
Moneyless Society: Chapter Two
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if the real cost of our economy isn’t measured in dollars—but in lives, ecosystems, and futures?In Chapter Two of Moneyless Society: The Nex...
Moneyless Society: The Next Economic Evolution. Chapter One
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we begin our journey through Matthew Holten’s Moneyless Society: The Next Economic Evolution, starting with a powerful question: ...
Chapter Eight Deep Dive: Sharing the World: Resource Allocation Without Money
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Living Unchained.By now, we’ve painted a picture of what a world without money could look like—how we live, learn, work, and trans...
Chapter Seven Deep Dive : The Bridge to a Moneyless Future: How We Get There
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
So far, we’ve explored the “why” of a moneyless society—its philosophy, structure, and spirit.We’ve explored education, careers, contributio...
Chapter Six Deep Dive: Learning to Live: Education in a Moneyless Society
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve made it this far, you’ve already imagined a world without paychecks, price tags, or profit motives.But in Chapter Six, we’re talking a...
hapter Five Deep Dive: Tech Without a Price Tag: The Tools for a Moneyless World
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is about the technological enablers of a moneyless society.Because while many people think this vision is idealistic, here’s the truth:...
Chapter Four Deep Dive: Careers Without a Paycheck: Purpose Over Profit
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Now, in Chapter Four, we step into something even more personal:What happens to careers—your work, your path, your purpose—when money is no longer...
Chapter Three Deep Dive : Why Moneylessness Makes Moral Sense
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today, in our Chapter Three deep dive, we take a step back to ask:Why does this vision matter?What’s the philosophical foundation for a world with...
Chapter Two Deep Dive: The Gift of Giving Freely
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In Chapter One, we asked the big question: What if we didn’t need money to live?In this episode, we step into Chapter Two—where that vision starts...
Episode One Deep dive: What If the World Didn’t Run on Money?
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Living Unchained – Chapter One Deep Dive
Chapter 20: Epilogue, A Morning Without Money
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this final episode, we step into the quiet, lived reality of a moneyless future—not as theory, but as a day in the life. Then we shift behind the...
Chapter 19 – How We Get Started
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do we actually begin the journey to a moneyless society? In this final chapter, we lay out a step-by-step framework—from education and pilot pro...
Chapter 18: What Would a Constitution for a Moneyless Society Look Like?
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What would a constitution look like in a society without money? Chapter 18 explores a new framework for governance, rights, justice, and cooperation—...
Chapter 17: The Role of Spirituality and Morality
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What fills the space when profit disappears? Chapter 17 explores the spiritual and moral foundations of a moneyless society—how meaning, empathy, an...
Chapter 16: Security, Safety, and Prevention
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does justice look like without jails? In this episode, we explore how a moneyless society approaches safety—not with punishment, but with preve...
Chapter 15: Art, Science, and Creativity
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does creativity look like when it’s free from markets and money? In this episode, we explore how art, science, and innovation flourish in a soc...
Chapter 14 – Roadmap for the Future
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do we get there from here? In this episode, we explore a roadmap for transitioning to a moneyless society—through public policy, community organ...
Episode 13 – A Glimpse into a Moneyless World
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does daily life look like without money? This episode paints a vivid picture—of shared meals, open-access systems, and work rooted in purpose. ...
Episode 12 – Overcoming Challenges in a Moneyless Society
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
No bold vision comes without pushback. This episode explores the real challenges facing a moneyless society—scarcity, motivation, complexity—and h...
Episode 11 – Building the Foundations: Sustainability in a Moneyless Society
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How would a world without money manage food, shelter, healthcare, and infrastructure? In this episode, we explore the foundations of a sustainable soc...
Chapter 10: Societal Implications of a Moneyless Society
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens to identity, success, and relationships when money no longer defines them? In this episode, we explore the cultural and emotional transfo...
Chapter 9: Legal and Governance Structures in a Moneyless Society
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a world without currency, how do we govern fairly and resolve conflict? This episode explores how law and leadership are reimagined—through resto...
Chapter 8: Resource Allocation Without Money
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Without price tags or paychecks, how do we decide who gets what? In this episode, we explore how a moneyless society distributes food, housing, tools,...
Chapter 7: Transitioning to a Moneyless Economy
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do we get from a profit-driven world to one based on cooperation and care? In this episode, we explore real-world examples, grassroots experiments...
Chapter 6: Education Under a Moneyless System
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when learning is no longer a means to a paycheck, but a lifelong path to purpose and contribution? In this episode, we explore how educat...
Chapter 5: Technological Enablers
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Can we build a moneyless society with the tools we already have? In this episode, we explore how automation, open-source collaboration, decentralized ...
Chapter 4: Careers in a Society Without Monetary Incentives
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if work wasn’t about survival—but about purpose? In this episode, we explore how careers transform when money is no longer the driver. From s...
Chapter 3: Philosophical Underpinnings
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if we’ve been measuring value all wrong? In this episode, we explore the deeper values behind a moneyless society—justice, purpose, generosit...
Chapter 2: Pitfalls of a Capitalist Economy
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Capitalism promises opportunity—but delivers inequality, burnout, and environmental collapse. In this episode, we explore how these aren't syste...
Chapter One-The Roots of Money
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In our first episode, we explore the origin and evolution of money—from ancient bartering systems to digital currencies—and uncover how this human...