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Dagon comments on Crazy Ideas Thread - Less Wrong Discussion

5 Post author: James_Miller 18 June 2016 12:30AM

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Comment author: Dagon 19 June 2016 03:45:56PM 1 point [-]

Hmm. I don't think that works (or maybe you're just describing capitalism). If individuals have control over money, you can't have a societal design that contradicts their spending choices.

  • Currently, individuals are rewarded linearly for the amount*degree that they "take responsibility" (=sell products or provide service) for someone who has money to pay. This is a direct result of the operation of monetary transactions.
  • Currently, sub-groups can incorporate in order to make individual-like actions.
  • There is an increase in power with group size, but there's no simple definition of "power" that makes it feasible to calculate. I'm sure it is mathematically limited, though.
  • (optional) private property can be taken if powerful groups (governments usually) think they need it more than the owner.
Comment author: Gunnar_Zarncke 19 June 2016 10:17:02PM 0 points [-]

Capitalism allows unlimited private property with all the consequences for concentration of capital. If you don't want that you have to let go of something. Approaches that come to mind (and have been suggested) are

  • taxes on capital (which basically takes property away)
  • taxes on on income that approach 100% and thus limit income
  • limits for incorporation (anti-trust laws)
  • contracts that structure how income can be used (e.g. trusts are often highly structured in their spending)

Basically I'm suggesting very general contracts that effectively change the linear reward effect you mention first to a consistent sub-linear one.