3 ms·

Part of why I think autocracies will outpace democracies, like China and the US. With better computational analysis, data collection, and advances in theory, we

Part of why I think autocracies will outpace democracies, like China and the US. With better computational analysis, data collection, and advances in theory, we can do far better than the mass trial and error of a free market. We design cars, airplanes with simulation, but we don't do that with the economy because it's been too complex. Imagine a simulation of 400 million chatgpt's as citizens and being able to tweak those levers in an ensemble with 10,000 different outcomes.

UncleEntity 4y ago
You know, I was thinking about this very thing just yesterday. The marvelous world where everything is perfectly orchestrated down to the last calorie every human consumes. No wasted production, no excessive choices, just what everyone needs to be healthy. Then a tsunami hits while another region is facing drought and half of humanity starves.
- swexbe 4y ago
  A well designed system will have fail safes.
mindvirus 4y ago
That was always the promise of autocracy though. However the question becomes what's being optimized for. Autocracy isn't optimizing for the good of the nation, but securing the wealth and power of the elites.
- ilkke 4y ago
  > Autocracy isn't optimizing for the good of the nation, but securing the wealth and power of the elites. Call me cynical, but it very much seems current state of free market democracy struggles with this same issue. Perhaps it is down to how we define what is 'good for the nation'. edit: formatting
  - carabiner 4y ago
    You're catching on.
TheLoafOfBread 4y ago
That's always like that from the start, then autocratic system will get corrupted by power from inside and because it is autocratic, it can't be replaced. Autocratic systems are destined to fail.
- carabiner 4y ago
  I mean you can find the US to be rife with corruption that has been normalized as "freedom." We are free to starve and not receive healthcare and never afford a home. While the rich and corporations can avoid taxes and Congress can legally insider trade. China, which covered its landmass with high speed rail, is landing rovers on Mars and is building a ton of new nuclear reactors. The Chinese really seem to have found a benevolent dictator in Xi. I'd rather have healthcare even if I'm not allowed to criticize the government on the internet.
  - maxerickson 4y ago
    "benevolent" "not allowed to criticize"
  - andrekandre 4y ago
    > I'd rather have healthcare even if I'm not allowed to criticize the government on the internet. perhaps, but they are not (nor should be) mutually exclusive choices

UncleEntity 4y ago

You know, I was thinking about this very thing just yesterday. The marvelous world where everything is perfectly orchestrated down to the last calorie every human consumes. No wasted production, no excessive choices, just what everyone needs to be healthy. Then a tsunami hits while another region is facing drought and half of humanity starves.

swexbe 4y ago
A well designed system will have fail safes.

mindvirus 4y ago

That was always the promise of autocracy though. However the question becomes what's being optimized for. Autocracy isn't optimizing for the good of the nation, but securing the wealth and power of the elites.

ilkke 4y ago
> Autocracy isn't optimizing for the good of the nation, but securing the wealth and power of the elites. Call me cynical, but it very much seems current state of free market democracy struggles with this same issue. Perhaps it is down to how we define what is 'good for the nation'. edit: formatting
- carabiner 4y ago
  You're catching on.

TheLoafOfBread 4y ago

That's always like that from the start, then autocratic system will get corrupted by power from inside and because it is autocratic, it can't be replaced. Autocratic systems are destined to fail.

carabiner 4y ago
I mean you can find the US to be rife with corruption that has been normalized as "freedom." We are free to starve and not receive healthcare and never afford a home. While the rich and corporations can avoid taxes and Congress can legally insider trade. China, which covered its landmass with high speed rail, is landing rovers on Mars and is building a ton of new nuclear reactors. The Chinese really seem to have found a benevolent dictator in Xi. I'd rather have healthcare even if I'm not allowed to criticize the government on the internet.
- maxerickson 4y ago
  "benevolent" "not allowed to criticize"
- andrekandre 4y ago
  > I'd rather have healthcare even if I'm not allowed to criticize the government on the internet. perhaps, but they are not (nor should be) mutually exclusive choices