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"__If__ machines produce everything we need..."

People have been asserting that machines imply post scarcity since the communist manifesto in 1848. I am not convinced.

Even if machines produced all goods, that still doesn’t imply post-scarcity. Some things are inherently scarce: front row tickets to a show, reservations at a hot restaurant, or a certifiably original piece of art.

A bowl of rice for a day of labour in the rainforrest sawmill that produced the front row seats.

Exactly. Even in Star Trek, where (almost) anything can be replicated, there are still restaurants that serve home-cooked meals.

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