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1. eldavi+(OP)[view] [source] 2021-11-04 18:29:26
Nailed it. This article is a textbook example of why STEM people shouldn't be so quick to dismiss things like political science.

What we're talking about here is governance -- laws, norms, and fairness. Nobody lives on an island. Even on land that's "yours", you're still reliant on things like roads, water pipes, and other shared public infrastructure. You don't like how someone's running things, vote them out or leave, but don't pretend you're better off doing everything yourself. "Self-sufficiency is the road to poverty" as a famous economist said.

Incidentally I've been watching the walking dead again (season 8) and a lot of this stuff is the subject of the show. It's definitely had some rough patches but at its core, it's a show about how to build communities and large-scale civilizations, and what effects various leadership styles have on each society's long-term prospects. Very relevant.

replies(1): >>allema+bb
2. allema+bb[view] [source] 2021-11-04 19:29:32
>>eldavi+(OP)
The political angle here is totally disconnected with what the analogy is trying to get at. We can safely assume the author is not trying to advocate complete and total self-sufficiency in every context all the time.
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