>>This is far from universally true, and to the small degree that it is true, it is an aberration from the vast majority of human history. I think you're inter

>>This is far from universally true, and to the small degree that it is true, it is an aberration from the vast majority of human history. I think you're interpreting my statement to suggest that people generally prioritize the public interest over their personal interest. I'm not. I'm only claiming that people, ceteris paribus, generally would prefer that society at large prosper. But they would not at their own expense. >>What also comes to mind is the sociological study where they present two people with $100 to split between them. This is very true. Thiel famously believes in Rene Girard's theory that jealousy emerges from the mimetic instinct, and that religious admoninations against it are a social innovation to constrain the dark side of mimesis: https://perell.com/essay/peter-thiel/ https://perell.com/essay/peter-thiel/ >>It makes their job a lot easier to do if people really are getting an unfair split. Yes of course, but the presence of inequality does not suggest unfairness as such demagogues usually imply.