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> You can easily test the strength of that illusion by living for a time in almost any non-OECD country I lived in both sides of the fence, don't worry. > just that we need to appreciate what we have and not talk out of our behinds about the oppression Yes, I'm thankful to be able to discuss with you how badly we are screwed without fear of getting even more screwed. What else should I be thankful for that our benevo…
Rather, to stop and understand the subtleties of our setup and how much of our unprecedented wealth and freedom results from perhaps not very obvious design choices. Every possible system we can come up with has to deal with the problem of human greed, corruption, tribalism. There is no magical alternative around the corner where public officials are virtuous and competent - they are just as bad and greedy as the capitalists, only now they control not only the government but also all economic activities. As a person who lived in a Stalinist economy and the robber baron transition to market economy that followed it, let me reaffirm what you probably experienced yourself: you really really don't want to give control of the economy to the political elites.
Is a better and fairer world possible? Yes, I'm absolutely sure of it. But it will necessarily be an iterative redesign of our own. We'll still have capitalism in the sense of capital ownership and market competition, but maybe you would have an universal income that you can invest in any company. We will still have jobs but perhaps no more wage slavery, with enough robotic productivity to make housing, food and physical safety universal rights.