The ultimate source of luck as a factor seems to me to be your origin: - Were you randomly selected by the genetic lottery to be smart, attractive, healthy, et

The ultimate source of luck as a factor seems to me to be your origin: - Were you randomly selected by the genetic lottery to be smart, attractive, healthy, etc.? Other traits might also matter, such as charisma and alpha personality characteristics. I've often noted that individuals with a slightly manic personality are actually very well adapted for high-speed industries. I've experimented with using things like modafinil to push myself a little further into this state with extremely positive results on my career. (My natural state is more "beta" and contemplative than "alpha" and high-energy/assertive.) - Were you born into high or low socioeconomic status? - Were you born in a rich and relatively free country or a poor or corrupt/despotic one? - When were you born? Not only does this matter on huge scales (e.g. it's better to be born today than in 1500), but it also matters in a cyclic sense. Do your life span periods of highest work productivity overlap with an economic high note or with a recession? Finally there is the obvious factor of accidents. If I get hit by a car and get brain damage, obviously I'm less likely to be successful. These lead to a few questions for me: (1) To what extent is it statistically in the best interest of most people then to support some form of social safety net? (2) Is it in my statistical best interest to support some level of social safety net given that by doing so I might gain additional value due to higher rates of cooperation? (Assuming that I am in the top, say, 25% of the ability curve and might not need a safety net as much as many.) A safety net can also be viewed as insurance. What if I am injured, get cerebral meningitis and get brain damage, etc.? (3) To what extent can these be hacked? Look at my first point about genetic luck of the draw, and how I've managed to kind of hack this a bit with chemistry and make myself more of an alpha personality when it's advantageous to be one. Personally I think that (1) and (2) are nonzero, which is why I do support some level of social safety net as opposed to naked capitalism. I also think that (3) is a definite 'yes' based on personal experience. Makes me wonder what would happen if you gave the poor nootropics. (Before the PC police whack me for that last comment, consider that I don't just mean IQ. I also mean assertiveness, energy level, ability to focus, and so forth.) At the end of the day I disagree with Peter Thiel. You are a lottery ticket. You are just a sentient, intelligent lottery ticket. You get to choose when you are played, as well as use whatever hacks you can get your hands on to change the numbers beneath the scratch pads. You also belong to a community of other lotto tickets and together are capable of conspiring against the rules of the game.