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0 points9dev4y ago0 comments

Hanlon's Razor: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity".

It's enough to assume elites were greedy (and/or dense) and didn't consider long-term effects, you don't even need a decades-spanning conspiracy for it.

The elites won't be as fine once they realise much of their wealth stems from the rest of the republic, but that seems to be the circle humanity is caught in for eternity.

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mistrial94y ago

it is my vague impression from history that in real yet slow-moving crisis, those that are able to command and control high-value resources do in fact continue to thrive while others fail in increasing numbers. This works, until it doesn't, to make a cute phrase, because in dynamic systems, either the system re-stabilizes in a new and different composition, or there is sudden, increased failure.

9devOP4y ago

If I understood you correctly, you're describing the efficiency-resilience problem: A system that is efficient is highly specialised for their environment, and thus susceptible to failure if the environment changes; a system that is resilient will not be as efficient, but can adapt to a changing environment.

This seems to apply to all kinds of things - people, organisations, software, religions.

I guess as often in live, balance is important here :)

deepsquirrelnet4y ago

What does this say about economics and supply chain failures during a pandemic? I think you’re on to something.

rossdavidh4y ago

True, and you might be interested in Peter Turchin's "Ages of Discord" for a more in-depth investigation into how and why that happens.

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