How does intellectual work happen (beyond doing it for leisure) in a world without IP?
In a utopian world of abundance where we could all be the independently wealthy nobles of the 18th and 19th century who did intellectual work for fun: great. In the world of today where people need to be compensated for their work: what happens?
Any way anyone who wants, wants, that doesn't rely on legal control of information. There are infinite uncopyrightable things that never the less get done and make people a lot of livings.
I only said "might" and the point was obviously not the immediate surface idea but to point out how the tool of IP is not applied to everyone's benefit equally, but used only against some and only for some, with a side of "You know, fuck it, if they insist on making it worse, it becomes less crazy to consider just burning the house down".
But What are you so afraid of that you react only to the hypothetical as though it were the worst danger?
We'd actually manage to get yoked and abused by the same people no matter what the rules were, don't worry.
I'd add: why bother... except for fun. We shouldn't discount enjoyment as motivation. But I otherwise agree wholeheartedly with you. We need intellectual work that goes beyond "just for fun" as long as most people have to work to live.
Ah, the good ol' communism, never fails to occupy the minds of idealists despite all the bloody horror of the 20th century to prove it the starightest road to hell paved with best intentions ever.
