5 ms·

A few hundred years ago, some humans overthrew an aristocracy they felt ignored them, took a swing at updating their social contract. Traditionalists were mad.

A few hundred years ago, some humans overthrew an aristocracy they felt ignored them, took a swing at updating their social contract. Traditionalists were mad. Modern thinkers won out more or less. Are we repeating that again? These loops are fascinating for their recurring appearance in human history.

dvtrn 8y ago
It's odd to me to find this comment downvoted, nearly completely grayed out for applying the lessons of history of antiquity to the modernity of [e]commerce, after just reading quite a few others making the exact same statements only with more recent participants and industry juggernauts. I found it quite apt.
- jpttsn 8y ago
  Vague is apt on easy mode.
  - dvtrn 8y ago
    How was that comment remotely vague? I'm sure it would seem so if one were lacking a few history lessons in high school but beyond that?
    - ectospheno 8y ago
      It is a transparent attempt to inject a political discussion into a topic where it is not appropriate. Your use of ad hominem in supporting this is just as transparent. There are other places where this discussion would be appropriate.
      - dvtrn 8y ago
        I am TRULY sorry to put this burden out there but someone explain to me the "transparently political" here because it's either too early in the morning or I am just not seeing it in that comment for some other reason. Am I somehow out of line here for reading that comment as an allegory for what's happening with Amazon, as it happened with Sears, as it happened with many other institutional market players with enormous market power going back several hundreds of years? Is it wrong to ask if that loop is repeating itself now with Amazon and other giants of commerce in 2018? Because that's what I got from that commentary. It's an interesting thought experiment and I'm happy to oblige that. Playing a game of knee-jerk word association just to torpedo the commentary as ad-hoc political, yes, in my opinion signals some lack of appreciation for history. If you want to call that ad hominem that's fine, but I'm not taking it back.
      - gerbilly 8y ago
        > It is a transparent attempt to inject a political discussion into a topic where it is not appropriate. Everything is politics, yes even in the fields of science, engineering and commerce. All of these things are human endeavours, not abstract systems that fell from the sky.

dvtrn 8y ago

It's odd to me to find this comment downvoted, nearly completely grayed out for applying the lessons of history of antiquity to the modernity of [e]commerce, after just reading quite a few others making the exact same statements only with more recent participants and industry juggernauts. I found it quite apt.

jpttsn 8y ago
Vague is apt on easy mode.
- dvtrn 8y ago
  How was that comment remotely vague? I'm sure it would seem so if one were lacking a few history lessons in high school but beyond that?
  - ectospheno 8y ago
    It is a transparent attempt to inject a political discussion into a topic where it is not appropriate. Your use of ad hominem in supporting this is just as transparent. There are other places where this discussion would be appropriate.
    - dvtrn 8y ago
      I am TRULY sorry to put this burden out there but someone explain to me the "transparently political" here because it's either too early in the morning or I am just not seeing it in that comment for some other reason. Am I somehow out of line here for reading that comment as an allegory for what's happening with Amazon, as it happened with Sears, as it happened with many other institutional market players with enormous market power going back several hundreds of years? Is it wrong to ask if that loop is repeating itself now with Amazon and other giants of commerce in 2018? Because that's what I got from that commentary. It's an interesting thought experiment and I'm happy to oblige that. Playing a game of knee-jerk word association just to torpedo the commentary as ad-hoc political, yes, in my opinion signals some lack of appreciation for history. If you want to call that ad hominem that's fine, but I'm not taking it back.
    - gerbilly 8y ago
      > It is a transparent attempt to inject a political discussion into a topic where it is not appropriate. Everything is politics, yes even in the fields of science, engineering and commerce. All of these things are human endeavours, not abstract systems that fell from the sky.