> Some societies optimize for the individual. If 8 lights is better for me then I get 8 lights. The experience gor other drivers us a "them" problem not a "me" problem.
>
> Other societies optimize for public good.
That is, frankly, bullshit. Societies, by definition, only exist when their members act, in aggregate, for the good of the community. A society cannot exist where everyone only acts in self-interest at the expense of everyone else. If you make self-interested choices for no other reason than "I did it because I could", that's just pure selfishness.
Society is forced to tolerate some degree of self-interest, but it isn't an optimization problem, because nobody is tweaking the parameters - things work until they don't anymore. That's why every society that has collapsed, did so either due to war, due to greed and self-interest causing it to turn on itself, or some combination of the two.
It isn't important that you make choices that benefit others, but rather that you at least care about how your choices affect others, and attempt to reduce the harm of your own self-interest. If you don't even bother to do that, then you don't deserve to be part of our society, or any other, IMO.
If only people that believed they stand alone, that everyone should fend for themselves, actually had to do so, maybe the world would be a better place.
That is, frankly, bullshit. Societies, by definition, only exist when their members act, in aggregate, for the good of the community. A society cannot exist where everyone only acts in self-interest at the expense of everyone else. If you make self-interested choices for no other reason than "I did it because I could", that's just pure selfishness.
Society is forced to tolerate some degree of self-interest, but it isn't an optimization problem, because nobody is tweaking the parameters - things work until they don't anymore. That's why every society that has collapsed, did so either due to war, due to greed and self-interest causing it to turn on itself, or some combination of the two.
It isn't important that you make choices that benefit others, but rather that you at least care about how your choices affect others, and attempt to reduce the harm of your own self-interest. If you don't even bother to do that, then you don't deserve to be part of our society, or any other, IMO.
If only people that believed they stand alone, that everyone should fend for themselves, actually had to do so, maybe the world would be a better place.