This book is creating quite a buzz. See the basics and one review among many.
People being what they are, there’s no doubt that this is an election-winning agenda for the Democrats. And the authors are both very serious people. I’m reluctant to write off Ezra Klein, who IMO is not just very smart but also circumspect and fair-minded.
But all this also looks to me like an advanced case of deluded wishful thinking. Or of “cornucopian economics”, as EO Wilson called it.
What to conclude?
i think the argument can be made that about 4% of the population are sociopaths and they rise to the top. if we continually liquidated them we could get to a new equilibrium that wasn’t dystopia.
the domesticated people who just folllow and do their bidding like zombies are the source of power unfortunately.
unfortunately the benevolent do not rise to the top or else the good could harness the followers rather than the malevolent using them.
This seems to me to be an absolutely terrible take and a recipe for completely societal breakdown if not genocide. But of course I recognize your right to have it.
whats the terrible take? im just describing society