There’s no shortage of people willing to tell us what’s wrong with the world, who’s responsible, and what should be done about it. Economic inequality, wealth accumulation, philanthropy, and the familiar refrain that we should simply tax the rich are recurring subjects, often presented with a degree of moral certainty that leaves little room for meaningful examination. But beneath these arguments are some rather fundamental questions about human nature, personal responsibility, individual freedom, and the institutions we trust to manage our affairs. Perhaps it’s time we looked beyond the slogans and considered what we’re actually trying to accomplish.
You Cannot Redistribute Wisdom: The Human Problems Behind Economic Inequality
Wealth, Philanthropy, and Institutional Power
The Entrap-and-Extract Economy: Selling Our Future, Stripping Our Past
A civilization doesn’t have to collapse overnight. Sometimes everything simply becomes a commodity, nothing is sacred, and people gradually forget what they’ve lost. A system built to serve us becomes a machine that feeds on us, consuming not only our wealth and autonomy, but the very things that give life meaning.