41–50 of 131 posts
Ben Elton explained the diminishing marginal utility of wealth in his book Stark in this fashion: "A man only has one stomach and one dick".
Billionaire-scale conspicuous consumption is certainly overrated. But Gates's own example shows how wonderfully useful and fulfilling it can be to have tens of billions of dollars to mobilize in a really heroic cause, like working to eradicate various infectious diseases from the human experience. Just to get started, as long as we don't have clean water, plenty of food, proper healthcare, good education, meaningful…
But Gates's own example shows how wonderfully useful and fulfilling it can be to have tens of billions of dollars to mobilize in a really heroic cause, like working to eradicate various infectious diseases from the human experience. Maybe. But it doesn't particularly make me want to be a billionaire. If the main satisfaction you get out of having $100 billion dollars is giving it all away again, I'd rather let someon…
Even $10b isn't enough to accomplish every large goal, but being able to do cheap LEO satellite launch (space cannon), real free trade zones internationally, and robotic space missions to mars, the moon, etc. would be amazing. Plus anonymous electronic cash, and trusted computing.
This was an important thing for me to read. For the past several years I have been trying hard to deprogram myself of the "richer is better" mindset. Part of my problem has been the assumption that richer people believe themselves to be better than those less rich, to the point that someone like Bill Gates would think less of someone who "only" had a couple million dollars. I'm slowly weaning myself off of this damag…
If you make a billion dollars in a free market economy, you have also created a billion dollars in value for others.
Other than that, and the ability to go anywhere you want, do anything you want within reason, and stay as long as you like -- yeah, I'm sure being a billionaire is overrated.
It's amazing how people forget. Bill doesn't have to worry about losing everything he has -- there's no way -- muchless worry about losing his house, getting fired in a recession, or how he's going to get his kids through college. Other than that, and the ability to go anywhere you want, do anything you want within reason, and stay as long as you like -- yeah, I'm sure being a billionaire is overrated.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
But Gates's own example shows how wonderfully useful and fulfilling it can be to have tens of billions of dollars to mobilize in a really heroic cause, like working to eradicate various infectious diseases from the human experience. Maybe. But it doesn't particularly make me want to be a billionaire. If the main satisfaction you get out of having $100 billion dollars is giving it all away again, I'd rather let someon…
Imagine though if we had a thousand Bill Gateses who each had a hundred billion dollars, and the brains and determination that got them that money, to throw at one or more of the projects mentioned above. Can there be such thing as too much resources being deployed for the advancement of the human race?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
But Gates's own example shows how wonderfully useful and fulfilling it can be to have tens of billions of dollars to mobilize in a really heroic cause, like working to eradicate various infectious diseases from the human experience. Maybe. But it doesn't particularly make me want to be a billionaire. If the main satisfaction you get out of having $100 billion dollars is giving it all away again, I'd rather let someon…
Imagine though if we had a thousand Bill Gateses who each had a hundred billion dollars, and the brains and determination that got them that money, to throw at one or more of the projects mentioned above. Can there be such thing as too much resources being deployed for the advancement of the human race?