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We Could Fix Everything, We Just Don't

erikmcclure.com

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Re: We Could Fix Everything, We Just Don't

#21

Post by josephg »

seventytwo wrote: post #8
transfire wrote: post #3

I have a saying, “Capitalism is the means by which we screw each other over.” But it’s better than the alternative “Communism, the lack of means by which we screw each other over.” I don’t think Socialism is the answer, which is simple Capitalism with bits of Communism sprinkled in to soothe over the more egregious failures (or to pretend to do, which is even worse). We need something truly new.

I’m fond of the idea that capitalism is like fire. You can use it as a tool and for cooking and warmth, but it must be regulated lest it get out of control and consume everything it touches.

Yeah; I like to think of capitalism as an eldrich god that we've summoned from beyond the veil and attempted to yoke for our own betterment. Its incredibly powerful, yes. But it fundamentally doesn't care about human flourishing.

To use a line from the Economist, we have to tame capitalism's excesses in order to get the most benefit to society.

Re: We Could Fix Everything, We Just Don't

#22

Post by EMIRELADERO »

tonymet wrote: post #13
transfire wrote: post #3

I have a saying, “Capitalism is the means by which we screw each other over.” But it’s better than the alternative “Communism, the lack of means by which we screw each other over.” I don’t think Socialism is the answer, which is simple Capitalism with bits of Communism sprinkled in to soothe over the more egregious failures (or to pretend to do, which is even worse). We need something truly new.

how did hackernews brew so many well compensated communists.

Because, unlike what classical-liberal economic theory stipulates, human beings aren't inherently selfish.

People can succeed under a system and still acknowledge it is a bad one for a big part of the population.

Re: We Could Fix Everything, We Just Don't

#23

Post by kevmo314 »

> We could be running fiber-optic cable to every house in America, and we even know how much it would cost.

That's the problem, isn't it? It costs too much. Of course we can fix everything, we could also do everything in the universe, but the question is at what cost? So here's my modest proposal:

> I am here to remind you that it will only get worse unless we do something.

The problem isn't painful enough. Have you ever had a tough time convincing your team to address some looming problem, the problem actually manifests, and surprise! It becomes top priority.

COVID was a great example of this. When the problem is painful enough we as a society can do a lot. So maybe instead of the Sisyphean task of "fighting the good fight", maybe we just ... make it more painful first?

Re: We Could Fix Everything, We Just Don't

#24

Post by klooney »

seventytwo wrote: post #5
oatmeal1 wrote: post #4

It's ironic for him to suggest government-run healthcare when it doesn't benefit from the #1 best coordinator of resources on the planet - price. He accidentally highlights the reason we have so many coordination failures - smart people with little wisdom think they can solve every problem, using other people's money, with no consequences for their failure. Not everyone should get free college, and not every house sh…

Price absolutely still exists in government run health care… do you have any idea how it actually works in developed countries?

He's probably referring to price controls, which basically everyone else has.

Re: We Could Fix Everything, We Just Don't

#25

Post by eru »

BMc2020 wrote: post #2

as this fantastic video about the popcorn button explains. Our economic race to the bottom has been sabotaging almost every aspect of engineering in our society. To save a few cents per microwave, the cheap microwaves don’t include a humidity sensor and then lie about having a popcorn button when it can’t actually work properly, which leads to everyone saying “don’t use the popcorn button” and now nobody uses the pop…

That's pretty silly.

The 'economic race to the bottom' is exactly how we can all afford microwave ovens in the first place.

Of course, you can make a special case for microwave ovens, and we could afford them to be slightly more expensive. But we need the general cost cutting and optimization in the economy to drive progress.

Re: We Could Fix Everything, We Just Don't

#26

Post by eru »

tonymet wrote: post #13
transfire wrote: post #3

I have a saying, “Capitalism is the means by which we screw each other over.” But it’s better than the alternative “Communism, the lack of means by which we screw each other over.” I don’t think Socialism is the answer, which is simple Capitalism with bits of Communism sprinkled in to soothe over the more egregious failures (or to pretend to do, which is even worse). We need something truly new.

how did hackernews brew so many well compensated communists.

That happens when a community goes more and more mainstream.

Compare the early years of reddit with now, too.

Re: We Could Fix Everything, We Just Don't

#27

Post by hinkley »

BMc2020 wrote: post #2

as this fantastic video about the popcorn button explains. Our economic race to the bottom has been sabotaging almost every aspect of engineering in our society. To save a few cents per microwave, the cheap microwaves don’t include a humidity sensor and then lie about having a popcorn button when it can’t actually work properly, which leads to everyone saying “don’t use the popcorn button” and now nobody uses the pop…

Technology Connections just did a thing about this.

I can confirm that some KitchenAid microwaves use a sound sensor instead of humidity.

Re: We Could Fix Everything, We Just Don't

#29

Post by grecy »

avalys wrote: post #17

No, we can’t “fix everything” because not everyone agrees that these are problems which need solving, or that your proposed solutions are actually an improvement. I feel like most people go through this thought process around junior year in college. “If only they would put me in charge, I could fix everything.” Yes, the world is not that simple, what a surprise…

> your proposed solution is actually an improvement.

Whenever we try to improve anything in this world (software, hardware, humans, society, laws, constitutions), we measure a bunch of things beforehand, then we measure again after implementing the change. If it's faster or cheaper or lighter or taller or some measurable amount different, we can quite easily determine if the changes have in fact improved upon the way things were.

In the case of many things at a societal level, it's not difficult to compare to other countries that have already implemented a bunch of these things to see the likely outcomes.

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