> I don't consider preparation to be necessary because if the food is free, I can wash the potatoes myself or even make my own bread.
Who provides the water? who provides the rest of the inputs for bread?
There are a lot of things that need to be done to provide a basic standard of living, even if 1% of the society are slaves who labor in the fields for the benefit of the other 99%.
> Oh yes, to be comfortable you need far more than just food, I agree.
Its more than comfort, agricultural productivity relies on modern technology. Storage and transport of food relies on modern technology. Modern technology is a society-wide endeavor where many people contribute in tiny ways that all add up to something that can't be replaced by any of them.
> My point is that we are far past the point where mere survival requires the whole population to work fulltime.
Indeed, labor employment to population ratios range between ~40% and ~80% nowadays.
> Collective choices are made with the assumption that everyone should work but we have the means to create an entirely different society.
I think the issue is different than you are characterizing it. Why would a few people work to support everyone else without getting anything in return?
Who provides the water? who provides the rest of the inputs for bread?
There are a lot of things that need to be done to provide a basic standard of living, even if 1% of the society are slaves who labor in the fields for the benefit of the other 99%.