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Well nobody has ever succeeded in doing a lot of things that haven't been done yet. But more to the point, we have to define a rich economy, and inequality. Is
by throwaway20371 5y ago
Well nobody has ever succeeded in doing a lot of things that haven't been done yet. But more to the point, we have to define a rich economy, and inequality.
Is a rich economy just a bigger economy than most? Or an economy with surplus? Or an economy with lots of value (and then we define value)?
Is inequality some people having less money than others? Or not having as much stuff? Or privileges? Or not being able to self-sustain? Or unequal social treatment?
I think the more important questions come from fully understanding what we want and how we're trying to get it. If all we care about is that some people have more than others, we will literally be fucked for eternity. But if instead what we care about is that everyone can eat food and live somewhere without struggling to do it, we can achieve that in probably many kinds of economies, but the economy obviously has to be set up to be sustainable in the face of that requirement.
A lot of economies are just shitty regardless of how they're set up, for the same reason that a lot of humans don't have the same privileges, even though they're made of the same meat.
- WalterBright 5y agoBeing focused on envy of someone who has more leads to a life of misery. There will always be someone who has more, even in communist societies. Focus on maximizing one's own potential is far more fulfilling.
- ceejayoz 5y agoThere's still quite a difference between "I envy that person's bigger yacht" and "I envy that person's having enough food for their family".
- WalterBright 5y agoTrue, and fortunately starvation is not a problem in America. (Obesity is, though, as America has been very very successful at providing plenty of food to everyone.)
- ceejayoz 5y agoFood insecurity remains a problem in the US. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunger_in_the_United_States#21st_century https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunger_in_the_United_States#21...