I think the authors are right that there’s probably no way to share this broadly that doesn’t induce ingroup/outgroup reactions and non-nuanced “debate” at high volumes. However I think it ALSO doesn’t go far enough to be useful in smaller group debates or analysis. It tiptoes around some of the elements that actively need to be debated and understood—specifically, the very concepts of individual liberty and resource ownership in a world where none of us are all that rational nor altruistic.
A lot of vitriol against SV is around the idea and implementation of “meritocracy”, and whether it’s just a mechanism to perpetuate social and gender disparities, or is a powerful tool for optimization. I think “meritocracy” is similar to “socialism” in that there are examples of it working well, and of horrific excesses, and some aspects on some margins are improvements, but it’s not a useful roadmap for … anything. But boy howdy do people get heated up over debating them. This is likely because both ideas have embedded but un-examined (or at least not universally agreed) theories about individual vs group valuation of resource control.
I think the authors are right that there’s probably no way to share this broadly that doesn’t induce ingroup/outgroup reactions and non-nuanced “debate” at high volumes. However I think it ALSO doesn’t go far enough to be useful in smaller group debates or analysis. It tiptoes around some of the elements that actively need to be debated and understood—specifically, the very concepts of individual liberty and resource ownership in a world where none of us are all that rational nor altruistic.
A lot of vitriol against SV is around the idea and implementation of “meritocracy”, and whether it’s just a mechanism to perpetuate social and gender disparities, or is a powerful tool for optimization. I think “meritocracy” is similar to “socialism” in that there are examples of it working well, and of horrific excesses, and some aspects on some margins are improvements, but it’s not a useful roadmap for … anything. But boy howdy do people get heated up over debating them. This is likely because both ideas have embedded but un-examined (or at least not universally agreed) theories about individual vs group valuation of resource control.
This resonates, particularly re: ‘the very concepts of individual liberty and resource ownership’.
I appreciate this nuanced perspective.