Qualified Reservations

[fare]

A blogger I love to read is Mencius Moldbug, of Unqualified Reservations. I find him always thought provoking, and a pleasure to disagree with as well as to agree with. Indeed, he more than once changed my mind on topics where I didn't imagine I could be swayed, by bringing about a point of view I had never been confronted to.

Mencius Moldbug is

Comments

Very valuable insights lacking the discussion of one question and one answer

[hodja]

The two are, unfortunately, not matched

Re: Very valuable insights lacking the discussion of one question and one answer

[fare]

I added a sentence about comparative advantage, though I treat the topic more in detail in my above linked post about Self-defeating hypotheses.

I believe you somewhat underestimate Universal Law: the stronger party of today is not guaranteed to be forever the stronger party - quite the contrary, actually. Respect for the Law might not just save the cost of a winnable war today, it might set a precedent that will save the cost of a losable war tomorrow.

That said, you're right that in absence of Universal Law, the Laffer curve is saving us - but it requires an intelligent enough and sane enough ruler to recognize it (as opposed to a sadistic government); and an even more intelligent ruler might be well inspired to follow Moldbug's advice and formalize its taxation revenues into actual tradable property rights.

[hodja]

Yes, the answer to the enforcment mechanism lies somewhere there, but I am not entirely satisfied with the simple mechanism that you provide. Surely, I am totally sure that I will be forever the stronger aprty against a squirrel. I gave a bit of thought to green libertarianism: formally trading with other species instead of taxing at Laffer maximum (agriculture) and plundering into extinction (fishing). But it doesn't add up (for now).

Superrationality

[fare]

I don't think the mechanism is that simple, but I do believe that the enforcement is made much easier by what Hofstadter calls "superrationality", and that is indeed but Schelling points for game strategists with common knowledge of each other's rationality: when you understand universal law, and you understand that others understand it, then it becomes obvious to follow it, because that is your best interest. This mechanism doesn't apply to animals, that are not capable of to grasp the necessary abstraction and causation. It barely applies to a subset of humans, who are able to fathom these principles. But there is a fair chance that AIs advanced enough to surpass humans will be advanced enough to get it.