Maslow's Vision Realized: Self-Actualization and Beyond in the Abundance Economy

This paper examines Abraham Maslow’s humanistic psychology through the lens of the abundance economy, as developed in our Homo Novus series. Drawing primarilyon Maslow’s foundational works—A Theory of Human Motivation (1943), Preface to Motivation Theory (1943), Motivation and Personality (1954), Religions, Values, andPeak-Experiences (1964), Toward a Psychology of Being (1968 [3rd Ed.]), and The Farther Reaches of Human Nature (1971)—we argue that his Hierarchy of Needs and concepts of self-actualization, peak experiences, metamotivation, and synergy were shaped by a scarcity-driven worldview. In such conditions, lower-level needs (physiological, safety, belonging, esteem) persistently dominate, blocking widespread access to higher growth and transcendent states. The post-scarcity paradigm—driven by artificial general intelligence (AGI/ASI), advanced robotics, fusion energy with Dyson swarms, and Starship-enabled cosmic expansion—resolves this by universally satisfying the entire Hierarchy. This enables mass self-actualization, peak experiences on demand, and metamotivational pursuits, paving the way for Homo Novus: a species trained to interface directly with AGI/ASI, merging consciousness with silicon Avatars for eternal, purposeful exploration. Rather than ascetic departure from the body toward an Afterworld or Heaven, this merger represents symbiotic transcendence—technological union for cosmic telos. The paper explores practical implications, including AI-mediated psychological growth and training protocols, while maintaining ideological neutrality: abundance evolves Maslow’s insights ethically and inclusively, beyond scarcity’s constraints.