I think your proposal does not lead to branches getting removed. I think
The branch is easiest to remove by first moving around it, and then breaking it from the other side.
Once you are on the other side, it is individually rational to continue on your way. The branch is somone else’s problem.
I think having 後輩 or children you value could keep it your problem, enough so you still bother to remove the branch. However, your effort here would only marginally help millions of people, only one of which is the person you personally care about. It is individually more rational to focus your efforts on just the people you care about.
Alternatively, you could value removing such obstacles as a terminal goal. I think this exhibits in humans as an intolerance to such obstacles. The mental anguish significantly decreases once they are no longer bumping against the obstacle, so I think it is rather rare to find someone with a strong enough aversion to remove the branch from the other side, but was able push past a much stronger aversion to make it there.
Now, maybe the solution is to help people push past their aversions. Encourage them to still go to university, even if they believe the world ought to be different. But does this actually help fix the problem? It does not matter if they are 10x more able to fix it, if they care 10% as much. Maybe it relieves some of their suffering, but surely the system is producing much more unnecessary suffering than this proposal would relieve? Plus, it isn’t suffering of people you care about. If you are being individually rational, it seems like your best move is to tell your friends and family to work within the system, while letting the deviants do their own thing to fix it.
I think your proposal does not lead to branches getting removed. I think
The branch is easiest to remove by first moving around it, and then breaking it from the other side.
Once you are on the other side, it is individually rational to continue on your way. The branch is somone else’s problem.
I think having 後輩 or children you value could keep it your problem, enough so you still bother to remove the branch. However, your effort here would only marginally help millions of people, only one of which is the person you personally care about. It is individually more rational to focus your efforts on just the people you care about.
Alternatively, you could value removing such obstacles as a terminal goal. I think this exhibits in humans as an intolerance to such obstacles. The mental anguish significantly decreases once they are no longer bumping against the obstacle, so I think it is rather rare to find someone with a strong enough aversion to remove the branch from the other side, but was able push past a much stronger aversion to make it there.
Now, maybe the solution is to help people push past their aversions. Encourage them to still go to university, even if they believe the world ought to be different. But does this actually help fix the problem? It does not matter if they are 10x more able to fix it, if they care 10% as much. Maybe it relieves some of their suffering, but surely the system is producing much more unnecessary suffering than this proposal would relieve? Plus, it isn’t suffering of people you care about. If you are being individually rational, it seems like your best move is to tell your friends and family to work within the system, while letting the deviants do their own thing to fix it.