> I personally feel the evidence is more on my side than Brin's.
Sometimes the evidence is so obvious, we don't even see it. I – and most people frequenting HN – have the fortune to be living in a time and place of 70+ years of peace. That's a "black swan" event when viewed from history, and institutions & political leaders quite possibly have contributed to it.
The same could be said about the economy, civil rights and science.
But even if you disagree with that, there's a difference between "they're all corrupt and idiots" and "they failed". It's quite unlikely that we manage to systematically elect people with a below-average IQ, or below-average moral standards. Therefore, it'd be more constructive to assume good faith and consider that some of the problems are actually hard to solve.
Fundamentally (in discussions such as this), this would require a bit of ethical behavior itself. First among them: Consider the best possible version of your opponent's argument. I. e. nobody is suggesting a return to a King <-> serf relationship model.
I'm not really following, I agree that it's a very peaceful time, that's not at issue is it? It's also less individually corrupt now than in the past I'd say.
The argument in the essay is that the idea that leadership and the masses are stupid and corrupt compared to intelligent individuals (not the average person, but a cliche heroic individual) is propaganda, which wasn't present in the past.
I think that's ridiculous and it's much more likely that the idea of there ever being benevolent and intelligent rulers (compared to this intelligent and ethical individual) was the propaganda, which is working less effectively now.
Hence the King/Serf jab, obviously we now know more than those in the past did, and reject the propaganda that the King rules by divine right and is superior to the rest. This is similar to what I'm saying is happening now.
Sometimes the evidence is so obvious, we don't even see it. I – and most people frequenting HN – have the fortune to be living in a time and place of 70+ years of peace. That's a "black swan" event when viewed from history, and institutions & political leaders quite possibly have contributed to it.
The same could be said about the economy, civil rights and science.
But even if you disagree with that, there's a difference between "they're all corrupt and idiots" and "they failed". It's quite unlikely that we manage to systematically elect people with a below-average IQ, or below-average moral standards. Therefore, it'd be more constructive to assume good faith and consider that some of the problems are actually hard to solve.
Fundamentally (in discussions such as this), this would require a bit of ethical behavior itself. First among them: Consider the best possible version of your opponent's argument. I. e. nobody is suggesting a return to a King <-> serf relationship model.