Pessimistic Optimism

[dakyon]

The proximate cause of improvements in well-being is a “cycle of progress” composed of the mutually reinforcing forces of economic development and technological progress. But that cycle itself is propelled by a web of essential institutions, particularly property rights, free markets, and rule of law. Other important institutions would include

Comments

[nonbeing]

Personally, I believe it is a timeless truth that some suffer while others prosper-- such has always been the case, and I do not see any way to optimize the happiness of all other than, perhaps, establishing mediocre living conditions across the entire board.

(In other words, history seems to indicate that civilization is a zero-sum game)

As for those who prosper celebrating their prosperity while others die in the gutter... well, my opinion is that they should not submit to some kind of global guilt complex-- as long as they aren't knowingly and/or intentionally deriving their prosperity directly from the suffering of others.

[dakyon]

I cannot find disagreement with anything you say.

Oddly enough, the zero-sum description extends to my intuition about the universe as a whole.

I am distracted by my own obsession with guilt and suffering. Sometimes it is hard to tell if the experience is one of empathy or projection.

[matrexius]

This article makes some interesting points. Still, I think it glosses over environmental and social issues. It would be pretty hard to argue that we aren't sodomizing the environment right now, and I don't see many free market incentive for companies to actually care. After all, if they cut environmental damage, it costs more money, and if their competitors don't...

This is why I think that while market forces are highly useful, they need to be tempered in certain places to prevent them from immolating themselves. Crime is caused by a gap in wealth between the classes, and I don't see why corporations would give a shit if someone didn't make them.