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One thing I’m curious to explore is why, on the one hand we are richer and healthier than ever (thanks to markets), we also seem to also be suffering from increased anxiety, loneliness, and the deterioration of community.
Scattered, evolving thoughts (don’t have solutions yet :)
Scattered, evolving thoughts (don’t have solutions yet :)
Sebastian Junger in “Tribe” writes about how he lost more friends *after* his army service (suicide) than during.
“Humans don’t mind hardship, they thrive on it; what they mind is not feeling necessary.
Modern society has perfected the art of making people not feel necessary”
“Humans don’t mind hardship, they thrive on it; what they mind is not feeling necessary.
Modern society has perfected the art of making people not feel necessary”
Another book “Third Pillar”, laments loss of community relative to state & market.
For early humans the tribe was everything—their state, markets, & community rolled into one.
It included raising children (community), exchanging goods (markets), enforcing law (state)— the works
For early humans the tribe was everything—their state, markets, & community rolled into one.
It included raising children (community), exchanging goods (markets), enforcing law (state)— the works
Overtime, market and state departed from the community:
Trade with more distant communities through markets allowed everyone to specialize in what they were relatively good at, making everyone more prosperous. States expanded their role too.
Local communities dissolved.
Trade with more distant communities through markets allowed everyone to specialize in what they were relatively good at, making everyone more prosperous. States expanded their role too.
Local communities dissolved.
What led to the departure from community?
1) Agriculture
2) Industry
Personal property allowed people to make more individualistic choices about their lives, making us less reliant on each other
Basically, we got so rich we didn’t have to depend on others as much for survival
1) Agriculture
2) Industry
Personal property allowed people to make more individualistic choices about their lives, making us less reliant on each other
Basically, we got so rich we didn’t have to depend on others as much for survival
Well, technically, we’re more reliant on each other since we specialize so much:
We wouldn’t even know how to make cereal from scratch by ourselves.
We wouldn’t even know how to make cereal from scratch by ourselves.
But this reliance is increasingly abstract -- the producer doesn't meet the consumer -- and so the dependencies aren’t as legible.
Those dependencies formed strong bonds.
Our bonds aren’t as strong today.
(See Robert Putnam's "Bowling Alone")
Those dependencies formed strong bonds.
Our bonds aren’t as strong today.
(See Robert Putnam's "Bowling Alone")
Community isn’t just important for emotional stability, but also social stability.
Community serves as a check on fraud, cheating, cowardice, corruption and cronyism—
Community protects us from states and markets run amok.
Community serves as a check on fraud, cheating, cowardice, corruption and cronyism—
Community protects us from states and markets run amok.
Adam Smith said capitalism would work with a strong moral fabric. That moral fabric used to be religion. Now there’s a vacuum.
Markets & technology have abstracted away the need for virtually all human contact, let alone humans depending on each other in a legible way.
Markets & technology have abstracted away the need for virtually all human contact, let alone humans depending on each other in a legible way.
Neighbors used to help deliver babies, now ppl just check into hospital.
The hospital will give you service, but they won’t care about you like your neighbor will.
That’s the tradeoff: Better service, less care.
In medicine, you want expertise, but, with your rabbi, maybe not
The hospital will give you service, but they won’t care about you like your neighbor will.
That’s the tradeoff: Better service, less care.
In medicine, you want expertise, but, with your rabbi, maybe not
Tyler Cowen’s book “Create Your Own economy” details the rise of the personalized info diet.
Individualized social feeds replace the newspaper, personalized netflix recommendations replace movie theaters.
We don’t have semi reliable communal sense making structures anymore.
Individualized social feeds replace the newspaper, personalized netflix recommendations replace movie theaters.
We don’t have semi reliable communal sense making structures anymore.
The tradeoff is less shared substrate.
Less collective knowledge we all learn, less collective experiences we all share, and less collective identities we all embrace.
If happiness is only real when shared, it’s harder to share happiness when you have less and less in common.
Less collective knowledge we all learn, less collective experiences we all share, and less collective identities we all embrace.
If happiness is only real when shared, it’s harder to share happiness when you have less and less in common.
Great traditional communities required
- Limited options (for dependence)
- No specialists (to ensure we work together)
- No external trade (to ensure we work together)
- Focus on traditions, no weird ideas
- No diversity (homogenous group)
- Limited options (for dependence)
- No specialists (to ensure we work together)
- No external trade (to ensure we work together)
- Focus on traditions, no weird ideas
- No diversity (homogenous group)
Guess what - markets do the opposite of all that.
More options.
More specialists.
More trade.
More weird ideas.
More diversity.
And that’s all amazing - but it has tradeoffs: Strong social bonds.
More options.
More specialists.
More trade.
More weird ideas.
More diversity.
And that’s all amazing - but it has tradeoffs: Strong social bonds.
What are the tradeoffs of traditional communities? What were we trading off back then?
Stronger social bonds, but worse medical treatment
Stronger social bonds, but we do excruciating manual labor
Stronger social bonds, but we don’t share interests as much, aside from geography
Stronger social bonds, but worse medical treatment
Stronger social bonds, but we do excruciating manual labor
Stronger social bonds, but we don’t share interests as much, aside from geography
Remember college when you were randomly placed at dorms and became friends with people who, in other circumstances, you wouldn’t become friends with?
That’s what traditional communities were like.
Maybe those friendships faded after you found your “real people”, or maybe not.
That’s what traditional communities were like.
Maybe those friendships faded after you found your “real people”, or maybe not.
It’s unclear the Junger narrative is entirely true.
It’s possible people are just creating new communities online.
“People can go an entire day— or life—mostly encountering complete strangers.”
Those strangers mentioned above? They are friendships waiting to happen.
It’s possible people are just creating new communities online.
“People can go an entire day— or life—mostly encountering complete strangers.”
Those strangers mentioned above? They are friendships waiting to happen.
It’s also unclear we’re unhappier. Or if unhappy, rather be rich & unhappy than poor & happy.
Junger mentions that Americans defected to Native Americans camps—for their strong social bonds--but it didn’t go the other way
Most ppl wouldn’t make that trade today. Life's too good
Junger mentions that Americans defected to Native Americans camps—for their strong social bonds--but it didn’t go the other way
Most ppl wouldn’t make that trade today. Life's too good
And if we’re less in touch w/ common good, maybe that’s only temporary, because we have common problems we have to face: threat of nuclear war, climate change, AI & job loss
According Nonzero () our fates are becoming increasingly intertwined, which means we’ll have to encourage social bonds, and design them in new ways.
That’s the great irony - we actually depend on each other more than we used to, it’s just harder to see.
That’s the great irony - we actually depend on each other more than we used to, it’s just harder to see.
“The poorest ppl in modern world enjoy a level of comfort that was unimaginable 1k yrs ago, and the wealthiest people literally live like gods.
“And yet.” Junger adds, if that’s not enough
I’d posit it’s easier to bolt on community to wealth, than to bolt wealth onto community
“And yet.” Junger adds, if that’s not enough
I’d posit it’s easier to bolt on community to wealth, than to bolt wealth onto community
Why does wealth lead to isolation, anyway?
Junger: “Poor people share their time and resources more than wealthy people, and as a result live in closer communities.”
The truth is we’d rather be rich and alone, than poor and together, if we had to choose -- but we don’t have to.
Junger: “Poor people share their time and resources more than wealthy people, and as a result live in closer communities.”
The truth is we’d rather be rich and alone, than poor and together, if we had to choose -- but we don’t have to.
We do however have a different decision to make:
Do we turn the clock back, get poorer effectively, all join the army or some national service, bring back tribes?
Or do we create new mechanisms and approaches to build community, identity, and meaning?
Do we turn the clock back, get poorer effectively, all join the army or some national service, bring back tribes?
Or do we create new mechanisms and approaches to build community, identity, and meaning?
Maybe people don’t sacrifice as much today, maybe they cheat more, maybe they care for the common good less.
You can try to weed self-interest out of people — by shaming, punishing or killing — or you can design institutions to align self-interest with the common good.
You can try to weed self-interest out of people — by shaming, punishing or killing — or you can design institutions to align self-interest with the common good.
“Welfare cheats / dishonest workers = tribe members who quietly steal more than their share of resources”
Junger argues that we should go back to local community pressures
I think we should “upgrade” that software — get over our need for revenge, for tribalism (good vs bad)
Junger argues that we should go back to local community pressures
I think we should “upgrade” that software — get over our need for revenge, for tribalism (good vs bad)
What Junger is saying is that the modern world doesn’t match our wiring.
We may have evolved for tribes, but we don’t want to go back to that, just like we don’t want to go back to dying at 35 and losing a few children at birth.
We may have evolved for tribes, but we don’t want to go back to that, just like we don’t want to go back to dying at 35 and losing a few children at birth.
“A wealthy person who has never had to rely on help and resources from his community is leading privileged life that falls way outside more than a million years of human experience.
Guess what? We’re rich:
Guess what? We’re rich:
“What people miss (from the army) presumably isn’t danger or loss but the unity that these things often engender”
We can find other things to develop that unity — sports, novels, video games, VR?
We can find other things to develop that unity — sports, novels, video games, VR?
Capitalism is incredible — it turns a zero sum world into a nonzero sum world. ()
Our minds, narratives, and cultural/social structures just haven’t embraced it yet.
Our minds, narratives, and cultural/social structures just haven’t embraced it yet.
The vacuum mentioned earlier is filled by new things—SoulCycle. Daybreaker. Sports teams.
Those are halfway solutions.
More comprehensive ones will come.
Those are halfway solutions.
More comprehensive ones will come.
Junger’s focus on hardship as bringing us together is true.
Indeed, what doesn’t kill us make us stronger.
The problem is that — when it’s not making us stronger, it’s literally killing us! Being poor kills. Fighting in the army kills (sometimes:
Indeed, what doesn’t kill us make us stronger.
The problem is that — when it’s not making us stronger, it’s literally killing us! Being poor kills. Fighting in the army kills (sometimes:
It’s not that there aren’t real tradeoffs from being wealthier, but I don’t accept that there’s a necessary tradeoff between markets & community.
We make new communities.
Ones that aren’t built on proximity, dependence, nationalism, but on common interests & values—opted in
We make new communities.
Ones that aren’t built on proximity, dependence, nationalism, but on common interests & values—opted in
One tradeoff: it does seem harder on some level to find meaning. Back then, meaning found us. Now, while we’re naturally happier (are less unhappy) we have to search harder.
Although, to be sure, we’re good at finding struggle (and making meaning).
Although, to be sure, we’re good at finding struggle (and making meaning).
We want to bring back *elements* of traditional communities.
We want ppl to care abt common good even when at the expense of short term self-interest
We want to feel more rooted, less alone, etc
We just don’t want to sacrifice long term sustainable economic growth to do that
We want ppl to care abt common good even when at the expense of short term self-interest
We want to feel more rooted, less alone, etc
We just don’t want to sacrifice long term sustainable economic growth to do that
I’m personally interested in new mechanisms for community making
I’ll go deeper into solutions in a future post, just wanted to outline the situation in this one.
Unbundling needs:
- How do we have more meaning?
Upgrade narratives. Rebrand capitalism
- How do we take care of each other?
Better align incentives
Unbundling needs:
- How do we have more meaning?
Upgrade narratives. Rebrand capitalism
- How do we take care of each other?
Better align incentives
- How do we take the good from traditional communities
Decentralize state power to the community level. Instead of nationalist populism, try “inclusive localism”
- How do we feel connected
Spending time in person regularly. Can’t replace good old in person community
Decentralize state power to the community level. Instead of nationalist populism, try “inclusive localism”
- How do we feel connected
Spending time in person regularly. Can’t replace good old in person community
Some people say it can’t be done.
That markets destroy identity, or make everything commodity-like and transactional, and that markets and community can’t be compatible
Not true.
We trade anonymously in the market but then go home to volunteer for the school board.
That markets destroy identity, or make everything commodity-like and transactional, and that markets and community can’t be compatible
Not true.
We trade anonymously in the market but then go home to volunteer for the school board.
We have multiple identities, as Amartya Sen emphasizes—trader during the day and deacon in the community church in the evening
Moreover, technology gives us the means to create more identity in the market, while giving us new ways of binding the community better together.
Moreover, technology gives us the means to create more identity in the market, while giving us new ways of binding the community better together.
Although there is tensions, don't see it as incompatible. We need to build better community toolkits—and use the market for doing so
We should go deep on which parts of traditional communities we want to keep+ which do we want to discard, without throwing baby out with bathwater
We should go deep on which parts of traditional communities we want to keep+ which do we want to discard, without throwing baby out with bathwater
Junger says people need 3 things to be content: need to feel competent at what they do; feel authentic in their lives; and feel connected to others.
The first two are getting better by markets — specialization encouraging more people to find their niche and excel at it.
The first two are getting better by markets — specialization encouraging more people to find their niche and excel at it.
Connection -- that goes back to narrative.
The more you believe increasing economic growth increases collective good, the more you believe your job is actually serving other people—the more you’ll find meaning in your work & connection to others
The more you believe increasing economic growth increases collective good, the more you believe your job is actually serving other people—the more you’ll find meaning in your work & connection to others
In olden times, it was easier for you to feel your work had meaning — you produced something and saw someone consume it.
In a world where there are many layers between consumer and producer, you’ll have to trust that you being a “cog in the machine” is actually a good thing—you are participating in something bigger than yourself, serving people you’ll never meet (as long as it's sustainable!)
Robert Frost wrote that home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.
May we, through our twitter feeds, meetup groups, Soulcycle classes, and of course, families & friends have places that will take us in when we need--and even when we don’t.
May we, through our twitter feeds, meetup groups, Soulcycle classes, and of course, families & friends have places that will take us in when we need--and even when we don’t.
