Substrat: "Progress is the realisation of Utopias" (Oscar Wilde)
without utopia technocracy remains, politics = problem management
the past teaches us things could be different
pilots/proof of concepts are how all progress begins
group pressure can cause one to ignore what is in plain sight;
yet: one dissenting voice can change group behabviour
utopias are usually attacked on three grounds
futility (not possible), danger (too risky), perversity (leads to dystopia)
utopia #1: working less
solution to many problems: stress, aging population, emancipation, ...
henry ford implemented 5 workdays; 1956: vp nixon spoke of 4 days
couples worked 5-6 days in 1950s, today 7-8; still, working mothers today spend more
time with kids than stay-at-home moms in 1970s
utopia #2: universal basic income
people who experience scarcity prioritise short-term problems
scarcity based on actual lack or excessive epectations
poverty is not lack of character but lack of cash
welfare trap: myriad of assistance programmes tax mental capacity
how high is our gross domestic mental bandwith?
president nixon was about to enact ubi bill in 1969
utopia #3: GDP is flawed metric
if you were the GDP, your ideal citizen would be a compulsive gambler with cancer
who's going through a draw-out divorce that he copes with by popping fistfuls of Prozac
and going berserk on Black Friday.
Wikipedia (GDP contribution = 0) replaced Encyclopedia Britannica
unpaid work (e.g. care, cooking) adds 37 or 75% (Hungary or UK)
alternatives: Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) & Dashboard for Progress
utopia #4: open borders
before World War 1 borders existed mostly on paper
countries could decide not to give immigrants right to assistance
unchecked migration corrodes social cohesion
bullshit jobs: jobs that even the people doing them admit are superfluous
activities that generate high private rewards disproportionate to social productivity
crisis as moment of truth: opening for new ideas or place for old convictions