This is crazy because people need to work to survive and what if their only options are people who are trying to take advantage? I get that. It’s not a practical proposal.
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But all the actual productive capacity of the economy is in people who are making positive-sum contributions. The “nation” of positive-sum builders and helpers is, by necessity, richer than the “nation” of zero-sum takers. In actual resources if not dollars.
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Imagine if everyone went on a sort of “strike” all at once: don’t work with or for anyone you think is sleazy or unfair. Don’t do any job you think is pointless or immoral. Just actually listen to your personal judgment. Would everyone starve?
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Replying to @s_r_constantin
Yes, this experiment was run many times as communism. People's intuitions about what's "bad" and "unfair" are an exceptionally poor way of organising society; personal morality just doesn't scale.
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Replying to @RokoMijicUK
Communism was not self-organized. It was led by revolutionary leaders who told the peasants what to do.
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Replying to @s_r_constantin
Which is because it's hard to get anything done without leadership, people realize this & leadership emerges. Most actual progress IMO comes from good ideas that scale well, like rule of law, the scientific method, markets, peaceful and orderly transition of power etc.
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Replying to @RokoMijicUK @s_r_constantin
Most anti-progress doesn't come from too many bad people, but from bad ideas like communism, superstition, acceptance of feelings as more worthy than facts, promotion of incestuous procreation, promotion of the extended family over the state & other corruption, etc.
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Replying to @RokoMijicUK
This is the main obvious alternative to my intuition. (Apart from the extended-family thing? Never heard of that.)
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Replying to @s_r_constantin
Societies with cousin marriage &/or strong extended family loyalty are corrupt because people favour family connections over merit. Each family cooperates with itself but defects against all others. The overall utility is lower
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Replying to @RokoMijicUK @s_r_constantin
This is a problem in many areas, including the Balkans, but also AFAIK Africa, Pakistan, central Asia, Latin America etc.
@hbdchick may be able to help if she has time1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
ah ok, now I'm familiar with the thing, Hajnal line stuff. I just didn't really see the connection with the state.
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