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I think you could achieve it with a slightly less intense qualifier than "purely rational", actually- if people were more in tune with coordination problems and

I think you could achieve it with a slightly less intense qualifier than "purely rational", actually- if people were more in tune with coordination problems and more willing to make a personal sacrifice on behalf of cooperation, democracy could work. This has implications all over the place- like someone deciding not to throw a tantrum at an airport counter because they didn't understand what "standby" tickets are, or someone deciding not to commit financial fraud because it makes the system a little more unfair and wasteful (instead of not committing financial fraud because they're worried about getting caught).

_bxg1 8y ago
"more willing to make a personal sacrifice on behalf of cooperation" The problem is that a lack of checks and balances means a single bad egg is all it takes. It doesn't just take some people being good people - or even most - it takes everyone being a good person to make that work. Humans as a species just aren't like that.
- quacked 8y ago
  Right. As soon as one person can gain an advantage by sacrificing a common value, that becomes the new default, and anyone that doesn't try to get in on it gets outcompeted.