In the same way that you could have the best chair design but without the resources, the wood or the steel or what have you, and without the proper tools to shape them, your idea is still just going to be an idea. Would you say that the wood in this scenario has value in and of itself, beyond the value the worker may imbue into it? How about the tools? We as a society have come to recognize the people who dole out access to resources as providing value, but they don't, neither in principle nor in reality. As I said in my earlier comment, the only value one might ascribe to them is only in picking the best ideas and they obviously don't do that. We obviously need a better way to fund creative ideas for the betterment of all.
Nevermark|3 years ago
If you were the only person on the planet, then yes.
But X and Y still have option value. You can sell them our service them to others.
You can keep them, and continue looking for Z.
But X and Y are not valueless. You are just trying to take them in a direction (needing Z) that isn't deploying that value (until you get Z).