Why does it make sense to talk in terms of the “overall competence of human civilization” instead of just naming a specific flaw? (E.g. “national banks don’t face a good set of incentives”, “medical researchers are reluctant to try extreme interventions”.) Naming a specific flaw provides more information and, at least to my ears, does not sound nearly as obnoxious as decrying the “overall competence of human civilization”.
Why does it make sense to talk in terms of the “overall competence of human civilization” instead of just naming a specific flaw? (E.g. “national banks don’t face a good set of incentives”, “medical researchers are reluctant to try extreme interventions”.) Naming a specific flaw provides more information and, at least to my ears, does not sound nearly as obnoxious as decrying the “overall competence of human civilization”.