September 14, 2018
This week’s topics of luck, randomness and bias have all been discussed in the context of inequality. I tried to point out some of the beliefs attached to these terms and how they psychologically benefit those who hold them or harm those who are excluded by them.
Should that be changed? Some clearly don’t think so – here is an elucidating editorial from yesterday’s Washington Post, arguing that Trump and his ilk actually want racism and misogyny, to choose but two examples, to continue to exist:
For the rest of us, the question is more likely: how can we change it? We have a few answers to that question, but nothing definitive and certainly nothing that could pull societal transformation easily out of a hat. In history, only truly earthshaking events have made a dent into inequality, and even then only for limited amounts of time.
Wars, revolution, state collapse and plagues have been the great levelers, according to Stanford ancient history professor, Walter Scheidel – and who wants to live through those? Revolution might have a cool ring to it, but the societal costs have historically been tremendous.
Even if you are not up for a serious and slightly depressing discussion, the short article here – https://www.economist.com/open-future/2018/09/10/can-inequality-only-be-fixed-by-war-revolution-or-plague?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/ed/howtofixinequalityopenfuture
is worth your time for Scheidel’s science fiction-like speculations of what type of levelers the future might hold. Interesting concepts, for a guy who teaches classics. In terms of real policy changes, he has nothing convincing to offer. Man, there are days where I am grateful that I am at the older range of the spectrum……
I am writing this while hurricane Florence is about to make landfall, and after I walked through the fields of Sauvie Island, documenting this summer’s drought that has yellowed the corn stalks before their time; both are triggering thoughts how climate change might lead to the kinds of upheavals that are discussed in the article above. I fear, however, that the consequences might lead to even greater inequality rather than excising the existing one. Time will tell.
