zlacker

>>lopesp+(OP)
The elephant in the room is the size distribution of "other people's kingdoms". Having oversized kingdoms and overbearing kings is not a god-given parameter, its down to regulation, political and economic choices. Its not for nothing that the current digital world has been called neo-feudal.

The real solution is to force these kingdoms to build permanently open gates and roadways that connect the land, increase all around traffic and opportunity.

Only when people turn from digital vassals to digital citizens will we emerge from the middle ages we are currently in. In this sense the most important development in the online world is still ahead if us.

>>openri+El1
It is the same process that turned literal kingdoms into representative democracies.

>>throwa+nm1
Absolutely. But it is disconcerting to realize the inertia of current collective intelligence even when what is at stake is great gains in productivity and welfare and even when formally we "celebrate" the benefits of well governed, market based democracies.

It goes to show that every generation has to internalize the painful way key facts about what is good and what is bad for society, even if history provides more than enough learnings for free.

>>openri+mp1
History isn't exactly the most liked subject in school. Most people continue not liking in later in life.

>>Moru+8s1
The most interesting history we got taught at school was by one of our music teachers who was a kilt wearing Scottish independence supporter who used to tell us bloodthirsty stories about Bruce, Wallace and others...

NB This was ~45 years ago - I doubt such things would be tolerated these days. :-)

>>arethu+Kx1
I suppose he skipped the part in which the Scottish elite sold out their country (literally) to the English crown?

>>Neonli+pC1
He probably didn't mention that because it wasn't particularly bloodthirsty and therefore of little interest to 12 year old boys.

Mind you, the fact that it was events on the Isthmus of Panama that were one of the main causes of the union is fairly interesting:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darien_scheme