We’re all in our social bubbles, such that some of us don’t know a single Young Earth Creationist or Trump fan (or hardly do), so we reject out of turn the idea that so many humans might work this way simply because the ones we hang out with don’t.
I could find a better social circle; it sounds like you have, and I don’t doubt it’s more enjoyable for you. But, either way, let’s not forget that the people we don’t hang out with still exist, and there’s a reason we don’t enjoy hanging out with them as much as we do people like us. There’s a reason they enjoy politics and partisanship and don’t want to hear about your market functions unless what you really mean is how cool some group is.
And there’s a reason they’re the cool ones that wield all the power.
Humanity’s current expenditure of resources is pathetically misaligned with its goals, and fixing that means power.
some of us don’t know a single Young Earth Creationist or Trump fan (or hardly do)
We might not know any personally, but the elven magic of the intertubes makes it easy to read what they say, both as thoughtful essays and as casual chat.
let’s not forget that the people we don’t hang out with still exist
Sure, but so what?
they’re the cool ones that wield all the power
No, I don’t think so.
An old EY post was recently mentioned here and there is a relevant quote in it:
One of the major surprises I received when I moved out of childhood into the real world, was the degree to which the world is stratified by genuine competence.
People who wield all the power can usually speak the social language, but those who merely speak that language do not wield the power. It’s those who both can speak the language AND deal with reality that do.
Humanity’s current expenditure of resources is pathetically misaligned with its goals, and fixing that means power.
I am not quite sure I will trust the rationalists to define the goals of the humanity. I am quite sure I will not trust them with enough power to upend the society to end this “pathetic misalignment”.
That’s my greatest fear about this.
We’re all in our social bubbles, such that some of us don’t know a single Young Earth Creationist or Trump fan (or hardly do), so we reject out of turn the idea that so many humans might work this way simply because the ones we hang out with don’t.
I could find a better social circle; it sounds like you have, and I don’t doubt it’s more enjoyable for you. But, either way, let’s not forget that the people we don’t hang out with still exist, and there’s a reason we don’t enjoy hanging out with them as much as we do people like us. There’s a reason they enjoy politics and partisanship and don’t want to hear about your market functions unless what you really mean is how cool some group is.
And there’s a reason they’re the cool ones that wield all the power.
Humanity’s current expenditure of resources is pathetically misaligned with its goals, and fixing that means power.
We might not know any personally, but the elven magic of the intertubes makes it easy to read what they say, both as thoughtful essays and as casual chat.
Sure, but so what?
No, I don’t think so.
An old EY post was recently mentioned here and there is a relevant quote in it:
People who wield all the power can usually speak the social language, but those who merely speak that language do not wield the power. It’s those who both can speak the language AND deal with reality that do.
I am not quite sure I will trust the rationalists to define the goals of the humanity. I am quite sure I will not trust them with enough power to upend the society to end this “pathetic misalignment”.