Iain Banks makes a compelling argument that the answer is a &quot;yes, but with...curious complications&quot;, through his exploration of the issues brought up in his fictional universe of The Culture [1], in his series of novels [2] set in that universe. Note that he explores the margins of his universe; for the 99.999999% of the denizens of his universe, &quot;Fully Automated Luxury Communism&quot; totally works swell for their entire lifespans (hundreds of years).<p>There are some key technical linchpins that make that universe possible, and commensurately unlikely for us in yours and my lifetimes.<p>1. Near-free, externality-free, near-Kardashev Type II-scale energy (&quot;The Grid&quot; in his universe).
2. Strong AI, replete with emotions and benevolent AI sapients (even though they eclipse human intelligence by far).
3. FTL, anti-gravity, matter manipulation (molecular level at inter-stellar distances) physics we simply can&#x27;t even begin to prod at.
4. Nanotech.<p>But that is one heck of a nice universe to strive for and toss the pebbles of our lives into moving towards however infinitesimal, nicht wahr?<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.vavatch.co.uk&#x2F;books&#x2F;banks&#x2F;cultnote.htm" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.vavatch.co.uk&#x2F;books&#x2F;banks&#x2F;cultnote.htm</a>
[2] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;smile.amazon.com&#x2F;s&#x2F;ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_11?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;field-keywords=iain+banks+culture+series&amp;sprefix=iain+banks+culture+series%2Caps%2C224" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;smile.amazon.com&#x2F;s&#x2F;ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_11?url=search-ali...</a>