Nicely written demystification of illusions that by acting in good intentions, understood as making no profit, we can make world better. We are economic creatures. Capitalism was not sent to us from hell, it emerged from interaction between free individuals.

All sharing ideas mentioned in this text have been ignoring that our time means money. Renting a tool from a neighbor might be cheaper. But it requires more time than buying or renting it from the local store. Then, what if the tool breaks?

The most spectacular sharing ventures as Uber or Lyft can be economically sustainable only if drivers are underpaid. During the recession, many cash short people signed as Uber drivers, because instead of staying home, they made a few hundred dollars, enough to make a car payment. But taking under account all cost factors, they were earning often less than a minimum wage, for sure much less than they made on the regular employment. The naked truth is that if an Uber driver wants to make a living by doing so, he or she needs to charge for rides roughly the same as taxi drivers do.